Immigration Accused Of Sexual Abuse, Gang Rape

[george]

IMMIGRATION: Police prey on Burmese: report

Human-rights body alleges sexual molestation and theft on border

Police are raping and robbing Burmese immigrants, including those who have legally entered Thailand, activists said.

"We have received a number of complaints about human rights violations by police and immigration officials," said Burmese national Mo Chu, secretary-general of an association working to protect the rights of Burmese workers in Tak's Mae Sot district.

He said many police officers hung around in front of factories or along roadsides, arresting any Burmese they saw.

"Even if you have legal permits to stay in Thailand, police officers tear your papers up before your eyes," Mo Chu said, adding that those immigrants who argued with police were often imprisoned.

According to the activist, Burmese immigrants are often forced to hand over at least Bt200 to police or risk being put in jailed until friends come to pay a "ransom" of at least Bt500 for their release.

"Police also demanded to sleep with good-looking female immigrants. These girls are raped and sometimes gang-raped," Mo Chu alleged.

"Manit", a Thai volunteer who works with ethnic Karens, detailed the plight of Burmese girls who he said had been gang-raped.

"They can't do anything except swallow their pain," said Manit, adding that he had paid ransoms for jailed Burmese at Mae Sot police station numerous times.

Mo Chu said the Burmese immigrants who were detained pending deportation suffered at the hands of immigration officials.

"I haven't seen any immigrants carrying bags out of Thailand when they are deported. Why? The immigration officials have taken away all their belongings, even clothes," he said.

Manit said the immigrants called these officers and officials "dogs".

"I have witnessed immigration officials grope the breasts of Burmese women, saying they wanted to check if any money was being hidden," he said.

Now that more organisations are stepping in to help immigrants, Manit said, corrupt government officials have resorted to hiring henchmen to do their dirty work.

"These men threaten the immigrants and demand money", the volunteer said.

Noi, a 29-year-old Burmese woman, said she had been deported from Thailand numerous times during the past 10 years after she had sneaked across the border to get work as a housemaid in Bangkok.

"When I'm arrested, I have to bribe police officers or else I'll be jailed," she said.

Pranom Somwong, an official with an organisation that helps immigrant workers, said that many government officials had abused the rights of immigrants.

"Why do the Burmese immigrants have to stand for up to 10 hours in packed vehicles while being deported?" she asked.

--The Nation 2004-06-06

[stroll]

...she had been deported from Thailand numerous times during the past 10 years after she had sneaked across the border to get work as a housemaid in Bangkok.

"Why do the Burmese immigrants have to stand for up to 10 hours in packed vehicles while being deported?" she asked.

Perhaps to make them think twice about coming back illegally again?

As much as illegal immigrants motives are understandable, they contribute to undermining legal workers rights, minimum wages (a farce in Thailand, anyway), etc.

Remember, they are not political refugees, they come to earn money.

[highlander]

Maybe if England adopted the same policies it wouldn't be over run with parasites bleeding it's welfare system dry and denying it's own people the chance to live in government owned housing as opposed to shelters and bedsits

[stroll]

"Remember, they are not political refugees, they come to earn money."

I don't mean to justify corrupt, abusive practices of officials, but I do support Thailands tough stand to reduce illegal economic migration.

At the same time, I am still waiting to hear about a policy for genuine refugees? Does somebody know how the two are distinguished here?

[plachon]

Maybe if England adopted the same policies it wouldn't be over run with parasites bleeding it's welfare system dry and denying it's own people the chance to live in government owned housing as opposed to shelters and bedsits

Typical small minded petit Englander. Obviously you failed to comprehend what this news report was actually reporting, or would you have been so indigant about all those bleedin foreigners' taking away the very soil from under your feet back in Angleland. shocking ain't it? Hope you've registered your vote with the BNP for the upcoming European elections Mr angry.

[Johpa]

...she had been deported from Thailand numerous times during the past 10 years after she had sneaked across the border to get work as a housemaid in Bangkok.

"Why do the Burmese immigrants have to stand for up to 10 hours in packed vehicles while being deported?" she asked.

Perhaps to make them think twice about coming back illegally again?

Once again Thailand has come up with the solution to an iternational problem, this time it is illegal immigrants who cross a border looking for employment. Now why did the rest of the world not think about simply gang raping the females and then crowding these pathetic folks into trucks in the tropical sun for 10 hours at a stretch and then delivering them back to the oh so considerate Burmese authorities where the females can be raped again.

Dude, you are so right! This will cause those pathetic folks to think twice about entering into the country where your foreign earned dollars allow you to live far better than you could ever hope to live in your home country. I sure as heck would not want to see some stinking ignorant dirty illegal immingrant Karen working for a pittance as a servant in the house of the mia noi across the street. Chaiyo!

And while we are on the subject, what is with these Isaan women these days actually demanding minimum wage to wash me freaking undies and mop my dried puke off me floor.

[plachon]

Too right Johpa! Wouldn't it be great if the UK immigration could give those darn Afghan refugees creeping through the Channel tunnel a good gang banging, before shipping them back to France, where the gentile gendarmarie should strip search them, give 'em another hard rogering, then pack 'em in cattle trucks back to that ###### camel-land they came from. That'd stop 'em from coming round here and bludging off us and taking our houses and dole and polluting our children with their Muslum teaching. Yeah, Thailand's got the right idea on this one! Hic-hic!

[maerim]

Wouldn't it be great if the UK immigration could give those darn Afghan refugees creeping through the Channel tunnel a good gang banging, before shipping them back to France, where the gentile gendarmarie should strip search them, give 'em another hard rogering, then pack 'em in cattle trucks back to that ###### camel-land

In these polictically correct days I assume you mean men as well as women.

[plachon]

Wouldn't it be great if the UK immigration could give those darn Afghan refugees creeping through the Channel tunnel a good gang banging, before shipping them back to France, where the gentile gendarmarie should strip search them, give 'em another hard rogering, then pack 'em in cattle trucks back to that ###### camel-land

In these polictically correct days I assume you mean men as well as women.

The whole darn lot - men and women, old and young. Human rights is too darn good for refugees, especially economic migrants, don't you know Maerim.

[NedKelly]

Another couple of quality humsn onthe Thai visa dot come expat webforum...............three cheers to Johpa and Plachon........you have re-drawn the line which divides decent human beings from absolute animal scum. dropkicks.

[maerim]

gentile gendarmarie

How do you know they are all gentiles, might be a few Jews there as well, doubtfull I know but there might be.

[plachon]

gentile gendarmarie

How do you know they are all gentiles, might be a few Jews there as well, doubtfull I know but there might be.

Was worried that if I wrote "genteel", Mr Angry Racist BNP supporter from Tun. Wells would get the hump, but if I used "gentle", a miffed gendarme from Calais would post something like: "Are you calling me a maggot?". So "gentile" it was, knowing the strong French support for Klaus Barbie and his poisonous legacy lurking in the Le Pen supporters, now being aimed at anyone with a hint of "foreigness" about them.

PS Ned, with sub-people like Highlander and his ilk about, drop-kicking into touch is a piece of piss.

[dkstoney]

Maybe if they spent more time at home trying to do something about the deplorable status of their government instead of escaping to BKK every chance they get, where they ALREADY KNOW they will be mistreated, the problem wouldn't be so severe. They ARE illegal immigrants. Thais DON'T like them or want them here. What's the difficulty?

[Pi Sua]

At the same time, I am still waiting to hear about a policy for genuine refugees? Does somebody know how the two are distinguished here?

The refugees carry a document. In Maesot, they are assigned in Maesot district and prohibited from any kind of employment. These days, they are sending them to US and Norway.

To get the status is a very hard way. Easy for the some Arakanese who are not under persecution to get it but the real politic refugees like politic opponents, Karen displaced, face more troubles. The final approbation is in the Thai government's hands.

The people like Mo Chu do not have it, even whether their political party is forbidden in Myanmar and even whether they would be arrested, tortured and maybe killed if deported and if they reached the border alive.

Of course, the Thai authorities block the acceptation of their refugee status because they want to get rid of them. For instance, I know that Mo Chu is often changing place because the owners of the companies who employ illegal and legal migrants have put a reward on him. The Thai police do not protect him and are more likely to help the henchmen.

[Pi Sua]

Maybe if they spent more time at home trying to do something about the deplorable status of their government instead of escaping to BKK every chance they get, where they ALREADY KNOW they will be mistreated, the problem wouldn't be so severe.  They ARE illegal immigrants.  Thais DON'T like them or want them here.  What's the difficulty?

Do you really think they do nothing against their deplorable government ?

When you have hundred of militaries pointing at you with guns and firing when you demonstrate, what is the difficulty ?

I think you do not understand that the problem do not concern only the illegal migrants but also the legal migrants. The fact to be Burmese is that you are considered less than a dog. What's the difficulty ?

[konangrit]

Maybe if they spent more time at home trying to do something about the deplorable status of their government instead of escaping to BKK every chance they get, where they ALREADY KNOW they will be mistreated, the problem wouldn't be so severe.  They ARE illegal immigrants.  Thais DON'T like them or want them here.  What's the difficulty?

What exactly do you suggest they should do about "their" deplorable status of government whilst staying at home? Would the same advice have applied to German Jews in the 1930s?

[ghengis]

This article shows how Thais treat 'poor' foreigners - in this case from Burma. It shows an 'Iron Fist' behind the 'Siam Smile'. If your average farang runs out of cash in Thailand, you can expect no mercy from the Thais.

Thailand likes to think of itself as a Developed Country, but morally it is back in the Dark Ages.

[stroll]

Maybe if they spent more time at home trying to do something about the deplorable status of their government instead of escaping to BKK every chance they get, where they ALREADY KNOW they will be mistreated, the problem wouldn't be so severe.  They ARE illegal immigrants.  Thais DON'T like them or want them here.  What's the difficulty?

What exactly do you suggest they should do about "their" deplorable status of government whilst staying at home? Would the same advice have applied to German Jews in the 1930s?

It has in fact been questioned why there wasn't more resistance from the jews and the German population, the answers don't belong here, though.

This is about Burmese illegal immigrants in Thailand.

There are many angles to this.

They are wanted here by those who employ them, and I suspect there is an interest in officials treating them so badly in order to keep them in fear and accepting any conditions free citizens consider to be abuse and exploitation.

As I said earlier, I understand that Thailand doesn't want them to come here, and the last thing on politicians mind is to provide an aircon minibus to drive them back home.

And thanks for clarifying my earlier question. The hilltribes-Burmese issues are a can of worms, and it doesn't show Thai politics in a good light.

[Johpa]

Another couple of quality humsn onthe Thai visa dot come expat webforum...............three cheers to Johpa and Plachon........you have re-drawn the line which divides decent human beings from absolute animal scum. dropkicks.

Oh my! Methinks I will need to start using those smiley things here to make my point clear.

[Limbo]

Remember, they are not political refugees, they come to earn money.

Yes, very strange, they want to survive.

Isn't there a discussion somewhere about how horrible it is to make visa-runs?

People who don't have any idea about the situation in Burma could meet each other there and cry foul. And complain about their miserable carma which forces them to have a visa when staying in Thailand.

A little bit of decency please if you write to this forum. It's purpose is communication, not to be a channel for the release of frustrations and low-class offensive utterings.

[stroll]

You haven't read any of the low-class offensive utterings my karma forces me to hurl at sour-mouthed nutters yet.

[Pi Sua]

Thailand likes to think of itself as a Developed Country, but morally it is back in the Dark Ages.

First world class country

This is about Burmese illegal immigrants in Thailand.

No, it is not.

Illegal or legal, the conditions are the same. Hope for you that you'll never have the same working conditions to earn your life as these poor migrants have.

The legal migrants have often their work permit confiscated by the employer to keep pressure on them. They do not have their salary regularly, often 2 or 3 months after to avoid them fleeing the hard conditions.

"Remember, they are not political refugees, they come to earn money."

Funny ! Do you know that the lack of resources is due to political reasons?

Guns in Myanmar, wips in Thailand, choose the best!

Well say Limbo....very strange, they want to survive.

Once you’ll see the real work condition here, you might change your idea. If they accept all this ill-treatment (and for most of them it is very bad), it is because the problem is deeper than only money.

Why are there only the very poor who are illegal migrants? Do you know that they have just a very low quality rice and so little to eat in the Karen state and the area between Moulmein and Maesot? Still the Burmese army organize some “collects” in poor areas. I do not know about the other areas but I suppose that is relatively equal.

How to come legally once you know for example that Burmese women who are not married cannot apply for a passport that whatever cost a fortune for them, and in case they succeed after waiting months bribing officials, they need an authorisation to leave Myanmar. If you look carefully, you’ll see that most of illegal migrant seems to be women. Some could legalize their status once here but still under slavery conditions.

Do you know that now, in Myanmar they are displacing people to build the Asian Highway that’ll be a big profit for Thailand ? Of course, these people loose their houses and do not get one Kyat for compensation. Come on Burmese, go back home and do little more for your country!

Few years ago, when there were arrestations in mass, Maesot was emptied of Burmese; was there a Thai worker rush in town? Nothing. The companies just closed and Maesot became a ghost city. Only after the owners of these companies had negotiated with the immigration for bribes, they allowed them to be back illegally. Following this, the government accepted to deliver work permit like they did by the past. But what are these work permit worth?

Also, I have seen illegal migrant working in some factories which use very toxic chemical products and listen to the Thai owner proud to say to me: The Thai do not work in this area, it's too noxious, we reserve it for the Karen or Burmese. The final production was to be sent in Europe.

About the renewal of the work permit, TRT said less Burmese applied for it! What a farce! In Maesot, they opened the office for 4 days to registered thousand and thousand people. I saw them standing outside till 2 AM. The Thai workers said to many of the applicants to come back after the week end, not to worry, but there weren't any another day for registration and thousand of them lost the right to renew their work permit. Could they complain ?

Another thing, they couldn't apply for job in a different company, only apply for the same one and only for the same job. So nice and fair isn’t it?

Have you heard about the deportation of 240 Burmese workers few months ago? They had work permit and just complained to not have received their wages. They were treated worse than dogs, surrounded, dragged on the floor, packed onto netted lorries, sent to Myanmar and Thai looking at the show with large smiles.

Have you heard about the girl who was raped and killed by the security guard of the company she worked for? The police didn’t do any deep investigation untill it reached the international Medias? I took a picture of a police officer, trying to put out the fire on her coffin to take a nail from her dead body, a week after she was killed! For what ? What a shame ! She had a work permit, a ticket to death.

Suffering, rapes, ill-treatments are allowed in Thailand when it concerns Burmese workers. The slavery is going on. Let’s rob and rape them all. Burmese and poor migrants are their beast of burden.

And as you are reading it, it continues for illegal or legal migrants. Don’t dream, if the life was as hard in US or Europe as it is in Myanmar, we would get the same treatment.

I just can say my feeling is that they DO WANT illegal cheap labour to do the low jobs and also because they can deport them at anytime especially if they try to complain and when they do not need them anymore. Not much paperwork.

Easy to catch them when it is the salary day or when they return to Myanmar and say to the world: We are right, they are illegal.

More difficult to justify if those people had strong legal status (that in fact doesn’t exist for any foreigners in Thailand).

[Pi Sua]

I just forgot to say that legal migrants are often forced to sign pay slips which do not correspond to what they really get in their pocket. Just to show to the labour departement that everything is done legaly. The labour department know perfectly what is going on, just have a look on NASAWAT APPAREL FACTORY CO.LTD case.

• Details of employees:

Workers: 285 workers ( 16 Thai, 269 Burmese, 70% of the workers are women)

All workers are registered. In September 2003 the employer registered the workers for six months.

Work permit card was held by the employer. Workers were not allowed to keep their own card or to have a copy of their card.

• Working conditions:

Hours of work: 0800 - 1200; 1300 - 1700

Wage; 50 baht per day (legal minimum wage: 133 baht)

Overtime: 1800 - 2200

Overtime payment: 8 baht an hour (legal overtime pay: 25 baht an hour)

Deductions from the monthly wage made by employer:

500 baht for rent, electricity and water

500 baht per month for paying debt for cost (and interest) of work permit (actual cost of 6 month work permit: 2,400 baht)

Monthly salary in hand: 500 baht ($12.8) - 1,140 baht ($29.2)

They have been deported: Here a part of the process...

The director of Mae sot police station arrived and the police started to arrest the leaders of the workers, the workers were angry and the police attempted to drag all the women workers out of the 'sala'. The women were crying and shouting, and the scene was chaotic, with soldiers carrying M16s standing around the temple. The women workers were badly mishandled by the police, border police used electric batons to control the women. Finally they arrested everyone and sent them to the IDC in town and on the border.

The conditions to obtain their work permit: Prelude to ######.

Absorption of medicine (that they make lost of them vomiting) to test something, I don't know what kind of medecine it is and what is it to test exactly but they just say that is to track some microbes and make them to appear in the blood test (legal?), urine test, talking to them like dogs...

Welcome to LOS

[ghengis]

The solution to this problem is to put pressure on the buyers of products manufactured by 'slave labour' in Thailand.

If people associated 'made in Thailand' with 'made by slave labour' and stopped buying Thai products, then the Thai govenment would get its act together very quickly.

[stroll]

I wish I hadn't put up some earlier posts, I didn't know it is as bad as you describe, PiSua. It appears like Thai authorities and enterpreneurs conspire to take advantage of these folks, legal or illegal migrants is of little relevance in this discussion.

My apologies, my mouth was faster than my brain(again).

[john b good]

Some of the posts compel me to conclude that Hitl*r didn't die in the Berlin Bunker.

And to Mr Stroll your apology is accepted, not because of what you might have written but the very fact that you made it (the apology) You don't see too many people on the forum who apologise for anything that they have posted.

[plachon]

Yes, I second that JB Good. Stroll is the bigger man for admitting his quick trigger finger in condemning these poor Burmese people forced to come into Thailand through appalling conditions in their own country, only to be taken advantage of in LOS. My hat also goes off to Pi Sua for patiently taking the time to explain further some of the typical scenarios the unfortunates around Mae Sot experience once over the border.

To risk all that for 50 B/day (which they may or may not see) speaks volumes about the hellhole they've come from, yet still people condemn them for it! Beyond belief, but at least Stroll is a bit better informed about the seamier side of (almost) unseen Thailand now.

[Dutchy]

To risk all that for 50 B/day (which they may or may not see) speaks volumes about the hellhole they've come from, yet still people condemn them for it! Beyond belief, but at least Stroll is a bit better informed about the seamier side of (almost) unseen Thailand now.

At last some sense in this thread. Another 'strategy' that Thai employers use is to let the police arrest the illegals. Strangely enough this always happens exactly before payday...

[dkstoney]

Do you really think they do nothing against their deplorable government ?

When you have hundred of militaries pointing at you with guns and firing when you demonstrate, what is the difficulty ?

I think you do not understand that the problem do not concern only the illegal migrants but also the legal migrants. The fact to be Burmese is that you are considered less than a dog. What's the difficulty ?

I guess that's the price of freedom--putting your life on the line against seemingly insurmountable odds.

To answer your question: The ones who run away from their responsibilities to free their Burmese brothers and sisters from a usurping dictatorship are doing nothing to help. They're leaving them in a lurch.

[dkstoney]

What exactly do you suggest they should do about "their" deplorable status of government whilst staying at home? Would the same advice have applied to German Jews in the 1930s?

Do you think the Jews just sat there and let Britain/US save them, chap? Don't you think they did anything for themselves? They had an underground resistance. The Nazis didn't kill every single Jew in the country. Besides, your example is a red herring and has nothing to do with the situation in Burma. This isn't a matter of white Aryan supremacists trying to rid their "fatherland" of Jews. This is their own people stifling their power to think and to act. When things get this bad you don't demonstrate-you kill. Attending demonstrations just gives the military an opportunity to identify you and maybe even kill you en masse to wipe out a good-sized portion of the opposition and to strike fear in the hearts of the public.

As for what do I think they should do: fight. Have some balls and be ready to die for what is right in their hearts (which is to strive for whatever form of government will make them happy), instead of waiting around for someone else to do it for them. Obviously, no amount of diplomacy or debate works with their current "government." What else should they do: abandon their homeland? Their family? Friends?

Thailand is not America. If you'll notice, they didn't erect a big statue with a placard that reads, "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free." That's because Thailand doesn't care about that stuff and they don't have to. Like a lot of people on this board, in so many words, you keep stating over and over how the Thais should behave more like Westerners. I guess everyone in the world should share our very same values down to the letter and until they do we'll probably just keep on trying to force them to be like us with word and deed.