Commuting Labour Migration
In addition to seasonal migration, it is common for people who live near the border to cross it daily to
work in Malaysia. A person who goes to work in Malaysia and comes back to Thailand on the same day
without staying overnight in Malaysia is classified as a “commuting” migrant. Commuting migrants are mainly
people who live adjacent to the border and for whom it is easy to cross each day. Commuting migrants use a
border pass to leave and come back to Thailand. Malaysia Immigration issues Documen Kemudahan Laluan
(Regular Traveler Documents) for them to use with a border pass. Some commuting migrants go to work by
crossing the Sungai Kolok River without any official documents (see Figure 2). This group of workers typically
holds two identity cards: One is Thai and the other is Malaysian and they have relatives who live in Malaysia
along the border or the river. This makes traveling in and out of the two countries very easy.