Prisoners Put to Work in Thai Factories Desperate for Labor

Many migrant workers left Thailand after lockdown last year
Thailand has one of the world’s highest incarceration rates

Inmates serving term for non-violent crimes, like drug use, will be eligible as long as they are willing to work.Photographer: Romeo Gacad/AFP/Getty Images

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By Suttinee (Ying) Yuvejwattana and Randy Thanthong-Knight

March 4, 2021 at 9:00 PM UTC

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Facing an acute labor shortage after the pandemic-induced lockdown sparked an exodus of migrant workers, Thailand has a solution: Get prisoners to work in factories.