According to the United Nations' Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the estimated number of international migrants in the region currently stands at 10 million. Of these, about seven million are citizens of Asean member states. While Asean migrants represent a small part of the region's 642 million population, their numbers have almost doubled in just over a decade. Yet the role migrants play in regional development, and their treatment, is often under-discussed in public and policy debates at the national and regional level. The annual Asean Labour Ministers Meeting, for example, provides states with a forum to discuss labour migration issues in the region.

Source: Bangkok Post December 21, 2018 23:25 UTC