Labour Camp Raided Near Mai Khao

[JetsetBkk]

http://www.phuketgazette.net/dailynews/index.asp?id=6695

Labor camp raided near Mai Khao

TAH CHAT CHAI: Some 50 police and local villagers raid a laborers’ camp beside a construction site near Mai Khao Beach Tuesday morning, taking into custody 82 male workers on charges of illegal entry into the Kingdom.

As is commonly the case when such raids take place in Phuket, no Thai employer was found or charged. (* Well done Phuket Gazette for adding this line! )

Pol Lt Col Jamroon Plaiduong of Tah Chat Chai Police Station said, “The employer has done no wrong because the workers were arrested outside of a construction site.” (* So any illegal activity ceases to be illegal as soon as the illegal workers leave the site? )

Thalang District Chief of Internal Security, Palad Thammarong Chuay-Aksorn, told the Gazette, “We learned about these Burmese aliens from some villagers who live near the camp. Their camp is near the Mai Khao beachfront around the West Sands development. We don’t know who they are working for.” (* I thought that was what they were paid to find out? )

“I went there with about 40 Thalang District officers in my team as well as some village volunteers and police officers from Tah Chat Chai Police Station. About 50 people worked on these arrests.

“We arrested all 82 Burmese before noon. They were doing their daily activities. No one resisted or ran away. But we could not arrest their employer because nobody saw him there.” (* Yeah, right. )

Last week, the Gazette asked Immigration Commissioner Lt Gen Chatchawan Suksomchit, during his visit to Phuket, why so many illegal Burmese workers were on the island, and how it was possible that such large numbers came here without being noticed by government authorities.

Gen Chatchawan replied, “I do not deny the fact that the integrity of government officials across the board must now be more closely monitored and action taken against those involved.”

Another senior police official, who asked to remain anonymous, said, “The Thai Border Police, an elite paramilitary unit that was developed by the CIA in the 1950s to root out communist insurgents, has come onto the island to protect national security and help arrest drug dealers.

“There have been complaints, however, that they are abusing their powers. For example, this week two restaurants reported that when officers were presented with their bills for food and drink, they acted outraged and threatened to arrest any migrants who might be working there if they were charged [for the meal].”

The 82 men are being held in jail at Tah Chat Chai police station while their cases are processed.

I hope the Benz came with the 20 disk CD changer he requested.

[thaigene2]

I've heard that the employers often 'call in the police' to arrest the migratns just before pay-day. The money the workers should have rec'd is then kept by the employer and sizeable tea-money goes to the police officials in charge. The migrants of course return home empty handed.

Under Thailand's new anti-trafficking act, state officials (including police I guess) receive mandatory jail time at double the rate of anyone else if they are caught up in human trafficking. I'm no expert - but paying the police to arrest the migrants and conspiring with them to then pay the police for doing so could surely be seen as breaking that law (one would hope). Alas, TIT..nothing will ever happen to the police/employer and the migrants will return home peniless.

[simon43]

I know this Burmese camp quite well. It was set up a few months ago very close to one of the new Mai Khao condo developments. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that these Burmese were working on that development. They are not camping in that region because they like the seaview....

Simon

[onnut]

Immigration Commissioner Lt Gen Chatchawan Suksomchit

Is that his name or is this a wind up?

[auntyedna]

Labor camp raided near Mai Khao

I have just completed a development down south. As with every construction project, my builder uses Burmese labour and whatever anyone else may say, the Burmese worked a lot harder and more diligently on my site than the Thais. Anyway... the Police enjoy having plenty of Burmese workers around because they provide a regular source of income. Every month, the building sites are visited by the Border Police, and the provincial police, and the district police to extort a per capita fee for each Burmese worker. In my case, this came to around 30,000 Baht per month over a nine-month project duration. Just for good measure, the provincial police arrested the whole workforce on one occasion, despite bribes being regularly paid, and released them on payment of another 30,000 baht lump sum.

Now that the building boom has collapsed, I feel we should spare a thought for these unfortunate policemen whose income has been most savagely affected.

[LivinginKata]

Now that the building boom has collapsed, I feel we should spare a thought for these unfortunate policemen whose income has been most savagely affected.

My heart breaks...