"136 other workers and I, we were forced to quit our jobs because we were planning to file a complaint about the minimum wage, working hours, and the 3 percent deduction from our salary as 'fees for the police', as it was explained by our employer. Employer also kept our bank books and we did not have day offs. . . It was very difficult to find a new job during Covid period. The employer also blacklisted us by sending our names to other factories, because the employer claimed that we protested against the factory. . . we are more and debt, and we have to work whatever job available for our survival"

“Thai authorities are ready to coordinate with countries of origin to support migrant workers. However, due to the Covid-19 situation, borders have to stay closed and we are not able to move forward.”

"For effective policies to be implemented, policy makers need to better understand needs of migrants, and strive to make policies that are more cohesive. . . without the cohesion of policies, from immigration, labour, to family-related matter to health issues, it is very, very difficult to tackle the pandemic"

"From our experience of the pandemic so far, the Cambodian government does not have very clear plans as to how they should respond to assist its migrant population.”

"The current lack of policy cohesion, lack of integration of policies, social exclusion, and absence of effective information dissemination mechanisms. . . have existed for decades, but the impact has been exacerbated during the COVID-19 crisis"

“Migrant workers have long been fabric of the society, but have been treated as temporary labourers”