“The new disadvantaged” from Transnational Worker Family: The effect of ASEAN Economic Community (AEC)

Abstract

With the reference to the article “Who is the next disadvantaged?: The effect of being a part of AEC” written by Sirinun Kittisuksathit et al (2013), “The new disadvantaged” has been defined based on the MRAs framework of agreement of AEC in 2015. This definition inclusively depicts the eight careers of the future workforce which will consequently be “The new disadvantaged” in the countries with multi-languages and cultures. In this article, “The new disadvantaged” is intentionally and differently referred to “Neo Vulnerable”. The is due to the fact that entering to AEC will transfer unskilled labors to terminal country, especially to Thailand and that more than half of them will illegally transferred. Under the civil registration system, these labors will be legal and mobilized to the important production line throughout the country. Accordingly, they will set up transnational family, which leads to “The new disadvantaged” equally undertaken by the government. Although the marriage is set up for the social structure for the normal society, it might be perceived in a negative perception by the majority of people, who discharge transnational labors, their couples, and children. This article aimed to criticize the social discourse on the paradigm “The disadvantaged”, harmonization and globalization. The critique was derived from document analysis and empirical data presentation from the interviews of “The illegal labors” from transnational family. This was to confirm and portray how the children from transnational family were derogated their rights.