BANGKOK -- The clusters of yellow shipping containers sitting on a bleak parcel of land on the dusty outskirts of Bangkok are a symbol of Thailand's growing dependence on migrant workers.

Children play in a village built from shipping containers that house migrant workers on the outskirts of Bangkok. About 700 people live in the settlement's 120 metal boxes. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Bangkok takes legal steps to retain vital laborers from neighboring countries