Anti-Myanmar hate speech flares in Thailand over virus

[jvs]

1 hour ago, kensawadee said:

Why aren't these hate speeches aimed at China........ China made this virus... Rather than an Atomic Bomb... But with the same motive... To weaken (and conquer) the world so they can take control.... Communism will not stop 'trying'....

We better start learning to speak Chinese.....

If you have a few spare moments try to look into your soul,it has been polluted.

[NoshowJones]

1 hour ago, PatOngo said:

I never hear Thai's complaining about losing work, I guess they are happy watching rice grow!

I thought that non Thais were not allowed to do jobs that can be done by Thais, or does that only apply to Farangs?

[SomchaiCNX]

10 minutes ago, jvs said:

Buy a ticket and fly home?

 

But what if your home is Thailand?

 

[SomchaiCNX]

8 minutes ago, jvs said:

If you have a few spare moments try to look into your soul,it has been polluted.

Talking to yourself? The guy is right.

[TSF]

9 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

I thought that non Thais were not allowed to do jobs that can be done by Thais, or does that only apply to Farangs?

Bingo

[SomchaiCNX]

2 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

I thought that non Thais were not allowed to do jobs that can be done by Thais, or does that only apply to Farangs?

Depends, you have to look up labor laws for that. I remember that in 96 they stopped the crackdown (order from above) on illegal workers in CNX because otherwise the facilities for the SEA games would not be ready in time. It was during the Baharn government if I remember well.

[EricTh]

15 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

I thought that non Thais were not allowed to do jobs that can be done by Thais, or does that only apply to Farangs?

 

Do you think Farang would like to work long hours like construction and planting rice out in the hot sun in Thailand for low pay?

 

They are usually done by the Burmese citizens but of Tai ethnicity. I've met quite a lot of them every time I go to immigration. They are not ethnic Burmese but ethnic Tai from Myanmar.

 

If you are confused, read below.

 

http://eastasiaorigin.blogspot.com/2020/09/ethnic-origin-of-tai-yai.html

 

 

[Scouse123]

21 hours ago, PatOngo said:

If the Thai's got off their lazy butts and did the work they bring Burmese to do, they may not have a problem, shame Thailand, shame!

 

How unfair!

 

They wouldn't have time to play with their mobile phones if they did that or watch cartoons!

[SomchaiCNX]

Just now, TSF said:

Bingo

The jobs that people from Laos, Burma, Cambodia and other countries can do are listed by the labor department and they get short time (renewable) work permits for it. 

[SomchaiCNX]

Many moons ago there was a Tak factory owner that went to the police to ask to arrest his (illegal) Burmese workers. The deal he made was cheaper than paying their salaries. It got attention and made the news but of course no follow up about what happened afterwards.

[KhunFred]

21 hours ago, PatOngo said:

If the Thai's got off their lazy butts and did the work they bring Burmese to do, they may not have a problem, shame Thailand, shame!

I personally know a woman who owns a restaurant in Pattaya. She employs a number of Burmese and Laotians and pays for their visas and these workers are paid sub-minimum wage. It's easy to despise Thais because of their unfair business practices. They would keep slaves if they could.

[PatOngo]

28 minutes ago, KhunFred said:

I personally know a woman who owns a restaurant in Pattaya. She employs a number of Burmese and Laotians and pays for their visas and these workers are paid sub-minimum wage. It's easy to despise Thais because of their unfair business practices. They would keep slaves if they could.

Such devout Buddhist's are'nt they? ???? Why are there so many temples in Thailand???

[PatOngo]

20 hours ago, misterjames said:

Always looking for someone else to blame aren't they? Except their Chinese overloads.

 

Cowards!

It's a deeply ingrained cultural thing! A show of their true manhood!

[Lingba]

and the smugglers???  the graft???...the corrupt THAI officials??

[Nsp64]

They sold out their culture to the mighty Baht.

There's no real culture left in Thailand, just a few corrupt temples with plastic effigies. 

Prostitution, corruption, scams, pollution, racism.....i miss the thailand I first came to love.  But its gone now and will never return.

Sad to see a nation i loved and respected disapear into the swamp of despair. 

[Artisi]

30 minutes ago, Lingba said:

and the smugglers???  the graft???...the corrupt THAI officials??

That unfair, all Thai's especially officials are pure and above reproach. 

[lavender19]

Pity they don't vent their hatred on the root cause. The Chinese. Instead of kissing their ar$e every possible chance they get 

[Artisi]

30 minutes ago, lavender19 said:

Pity they don't vent their hatred on the root cause. The Chinese. Instead of kissing their ar$e every possible chance they get 

No money in doing that... 

[Pique Dard]

On 12/24/2020 at 9:57 AM, webfact said:

"Wherever you see Myanmar people, shoot them down," read one Thai comment

this is the very reason why thailand is called the land of smiles

[xtrnuno41]

Thai already say they are at war again with Myanmar (Burma). So far i counted 16 wars with  Myanmar (Burma) in the past, this would be number 17?

Could be sarcastic joke, but never the less if they start hate preaches on internet maffia, what then?

Thai are afraid getting covid, but dont care traffic in which 40 people die, everyday. Weird.

[SomchaiCNX]

14 minutes ago, xtrnuno41 said:

Thai already say they are at war again with Myanmar (Burma). So far i counted 16 wars with  Myanmar (Burma) in the past, this would be number 17?

Could be sarcastic joke, but never the less if they start hate preaches on internet maffia, what then?

Thai are afraid getting covid, but dont care traffic in which 40 people die, everyday. Weird.

There have been more on most of them were won by the Burmese. 

[spidermike007]

1. Thailand would cease to function tomorrow, without these migrant workers. Just like America would cease to function without Mexican workers. 

 

2. Xenophobia is rampant here, moreso among the highly toxic army and administration, than amongst the average person. 

 

3. Xenophobia also exists in many other nations. Just look at the orange variety in Washington. 

 

4. It is likely these racist clowns represent a small percentage of Thais. Not to say the Burmese are loved here. But, extreme hatred is another thing altogether. 

 

5. The Burmese deserve alot of credit. They work hard, for less money, and generally speaking, they do not cause problems for Thailand. 

 

6. The army, navy and immigration, are largely to blame for this. This could likely have been avoided.

 

Heads should roll over this, but it is likely they won't. Prayuth should resign over this. If he had any pride. 

[bangon04]

"in traditionally tolerant Thailand."   I put this location into Google Maps but it came back as unknown. 

[KhunFred]

2 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

1. Thailand would cease to function tomorrow, without these migrant workers. Just like America would cease to function without Mexican workers. 

 

2. Xenophobia is rampant here, moreso among the highly toxic army and administration, than amongst the average person. 

 

3. Xenophobia also exists in many other nations. Just look at the orange variety in Washington. 

 

4. It is likely these racist clowns represent a small percentage of Thais. Not to say the Burmese are loved here. But, extreme hatred is another thing altogether. 

 

5. The Burmese deserve alot of credit. They work hard, for less money, and generally speaking, they do not cause problems for Thailand. 

 

6. The army, navy and immigration, are largely to blame for this. This could likely have been avoided.

 

Heads should roll over this, but it is likely they won't. Prayuth should resign over this. If he had any pride. 

I regularly have Thai people tell me that allowing farangs to teach English here is taking jobs away from Thai people. These folks actually believe that there are Thai people qualified to teach English. I know of exactly TWO. They are Thais brought up in the USA, who speak perfect English and near fluent Thai. American mother and Thai father.

[Lingba]

always pointing a finger...grow up and take responsibility or can you never do that

[dinsdale]

 

Xenophobic headline to detract from the real story. Pitiful. Govt not releasing true figures should be the headline.

[KhunFred]

16 hours ago, PatOngo said:

Such devout Buddhist's are'nt they? ???? Why are there so many temples in Thailand???

The Burmese are Buddhist too. It's a very flexible religion. Sin now, pay in the next life.????

[BigC]

On 12/24/2020 at 3:57 PM, webfact said:

Anti-Myanmar hate speech flares in Thailand over virus

By Panarat Thepgumpanat, Shoon Naing and Matthew Tostevin

 

FILE PHOTO: Migrant workers stand in front of a closed shrimp market, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Samut Sakhon province, in Thailand, December 20, 2020. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - "Wherever you see Myanmar people, shoot them down," read one Thai comment on YouTube after a surge of coronavirus cases among workers from Myanmar.

 

The outbreak, first detected at a seafood market near Bangkok, has prompted a flare-up in such online hate speech as well as questions over the treatment of millions of migrant workers in traditionally tolerant Thailand.

 

"Myanmar people are being labelled for transmitting COVID-19, but the virus doesn't discriminate," said Sompong Srakaew of the Labor Protection Network, a Thai group helping migrant workers.

 

Shifting sentiment had real consequences, he said, with workers from Myanmar, previously known as Burma, being blocked from buses, motorcycle taxis and offices.

 

One of the many incendiary comments on social media seen by Reuters called for infected migrant workers to remain untreated and punishment for people that brought them into Thailand.

 

The rhetoric reflects a global pattern since the start of the pandemic of foreigners being blamed for spreading the virus.

 

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha this week said illegal immigration was behind the outbreak in a country that had brought COVID-19 under control, although Thailand's virus task force appealed for sympathy for immigrants.

 

The independent Social Media Monitoring for Peace group told Reuters it found hundreds of comments classified as hate speech on YouTube with others on Facebook and Twitter.

 

"The comments included racist language aimed at triggering discrimination and promoting nationalism," said the group's Saijai Liangpunsakul. "We're concerned that online discrimination could translate into further discrimination and even lead to real-world violence."

 

After Reuters flagged some posts, Facebook said it had removed several for violating hate speech policies.

 

"We know that hate speech targeted towards vulnerable communities can be the most harmful," a Facebook spokesperson said, saying its technology detected 95% of hate speech.

 

Facebook came under heavy criticism for the role it played in spreading hate speech that fuelled violence against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar in 2017 and has since invested in systems that can rapidly detect and remove such content.

 

Twitter said it was looking into the issue. YouTube did not respond to requests for comment.

 

Not all the social media traffic has been negative, with some Thais defending the Myanmar workers.

 

Government spokespeople in Thailand and Myanmar did not respond immediately to requests for comment on hate speech.

 

'REALLY SAD'

The outbreak was first detected last week at a shrimp market at Samut Sakhon, barely 35 km (20 miles) from central Bangkok. Since then nearly 1,300 infections linked to the market have been found while thousands of people have been quarantined.

 

"We feel really sad that we Myanmar workers are being blamed," said Nay Lin Thu, a 35-year-old worker from Myanmar who has now volunteered to help others.

 

"We are told 'this happened because of you Myanmar'. Mostly we do not respond but some of us couldn’t contain their anger."

 

Officially, Thailand has nearly 1.6 million workers from Myanmar, almost two-thirds of all migrant workers, but the real figure is higher because of illegal immigration. Most migrants are labourers or work in service industries.

 

"Thai people won't take the jobs they are doing," Taweesin Wisanuyothin, of Thailand's COVID-19 taskforce said as he pleaded for tolerance in a televised broadcast. "Today they are our family... Both Myanmar and Thai people are Buddhists."

 

Thailand has traditionally been seen as tolerant of foreigners, but a historic enmity has been revived on social media with references to the 18th century destruction by Burmese forces of Ayutthaya, capital of what was then known as Siam.

 

Myanmar has suffered a much more severe outbreak of coronavirus, with over 2,500 dead from nearly 120,000 confirmed cases compared with 60 fatalities from over 5,800 cases in Thailand.

 

How the new cases first appeared in Thailand is unclear.

 

Similar outbreaks among migrant workers living close together in Malaysia and Singapore showed how the virus can spread undetected among healthy young people who show few symptoms. It was first detected in a 67-year-old woman.

 

Although Thailand reported few local transmissions in recent months, Myanmar had detected cases in citizens returning form Thailand.

 

"Our judgement is that silent carriers have been present in Thailand," said Sein Htay of the Yangon-based Migrant Worker Rights Network. "Living conditions for Myanmar workers are difficult for social distancing with three or four to a room."

 

Despite the accusations against Myanmar workers of crossing the border illegally, Thais have done so too.

 

A previous coronavirus scare flared recently when several Thai women returned home, some using illegal border crossings, after an outbreak at the nightlife spot where they worked in Myanmar.

 

(Reporting by Shoon Naing in Yangon; Writing by Matthew Tostevin; Editing by Sam Holmes)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-12-24

 

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burmese go home your not wanted

[spidermike007]

14 hours ago, KhunFred said:

I regularly have Thai people tell me that allowing farangs to teach English here is taking jobs away from Thai people. These folks actually believe that there are Thai people qualified to teach English. I know of exactly TWO. They are Thais brought up in the USA, who speak perfect English and near fluent Thai. American mother and Thai father.

Well, as we know there is plenty of room for uninformed ignorance in this world. Does not mean much. It is just that. 

[peter zwart]

On 12/25/2020 at 9:39 AM, Nsp64 said:

They sold out their culture to the mighty Baht.

There's no real culture left in Thailand, just a few corrupt temples with plastic effigies. 

Prostitution, corruption, scams, pollution, racism.....i miss the thailand I first came to love.  But its gone now and will never return.

Sad to see a nation i loved and respected disapear into the swamp of despair. 

It is indeed. But its something you see all over the world. Things are changing pretty fast and with that also the behaviour of people. And unfortunately not always is a good way. But there is also another thing that makes things unpleasant and that is Social Media. Always ask yourself the question, if i didnt hear, read all the things would my feeling and thoughts about things also be as negative as it is now? I live in Thailand but this moment im stuck in Europe. But when i am in Thailand i hardly read/hear any news and not using any Social Media. I dont speak the language (talk English with my wife) for the reason that i dont want to hear/understand all the complaining. And i must say that when im in Thailand my mind is much more relaxed and the world looks much better then when im in Europe where i hear/read all of it and notice that, with that,  im sinking into "the swamp" again. Maybe this approach will also help you. Anyway, merry christmas (and that goes to all the people here)  and keep it up.