Burmese Receiving No Help

[Sphere]

Burmese receiving no help

They are being seen as `not worthy' of aid

KULTIDA SAMABUDDHI (for Bangkok Post)

Phangnga _ While foreign tourists and Thais who survived the monster waves have been provided with shelter, basic facilities and financial assistance, hundreds of Burmese workers that are still alive and kicking are being treated as if they don't even exist.

Forget about the 20,000-baht compensation for a Burmese death, 2,000-baht in aid money for an unemployed Burmese, or receiving DNA checks to find their missing relatives. Burmese workers can only think of finding food and drinking water without being arrested and deported by the immigration police who have stepped up their crackdown against them.

Thai villagers and police have accused many of the illegal Burmese workers of theft and break-ins at tsunami-damaged hotels. Only Burmese with work permits and those who were brought back for work by their employers are not being branded as criminals. Auig, 25, a Burmese worker at the Ban Nam Khem fishing village, said Burmese workers who had taken refuge in front of the Takua Pa district office along with some Thai villagers to escape the wrath of the tsunami, had mostly been rounded up by immigrantion police for deportation. The ones who escaped arrest had fled the province and taken refuge at a detention camp in Ranong. Auig and some 20 other Burmese workers arrived from Koh Song in Burma by boat in Ban Nam Khem five years ago in search of employment. Auig was employed as a helper by a Thai fish vendor and received a monthly salary of 3,000 baht before the tsunami devastation.

According to Auig, more than half of about the 2,000 Burmese workers in Ban Nam Khem were missing.

He lost two elder brothers in the disaster and found the body of one and handed it to a rescue party because he had no money to arrange a cremation.

``We haven't received any help from the Thai Government, but it's fine. We have no right to complain,'' Auig said, adding he could not go back to Ban Nam Khem because his employer had also been killed by the waves along with five of his family members. Thouse, 25, a Burmese worker from Ban Nam Khem, said Burmese workers dared not go to Wat Yanyao to search for the dead bodies of their relatives as they were afraid of being arrested.

The Burmese survivors fled in all directions after the tsunami catastrophe, he said, adding some had even set up a camp in a deep jungle on the high mountains. Others were arrested and deported to Burma, and the rest presumed dead.

Meanwhile, a Burmese immigrant advocate called on the government to provide humanitarian aid to alien labourers on par with Thais and foreign tourists.

``Alien workers should not be a subject of discrimination under the disaster relief scheme. These people are severely affected in the same way as Thais and foreign tourists,'' said the activist, who asked for anonymity. Jakkaphan Sareung, head of the Labour Ministry's illegal alien workers suppression unit, said there were about 20,000 Burmese workers in Phangnga. Of this, about 1,000 were deported after the disaster. ``The remaining are hiding in a deep jungle or have returned to their employers,'' he said, adding the officers had deported only the permitless workers and those who wanted to return home.

The ministry and the immigration police yesterday launched joint patrols in Takua Pa District in response to Thai villagers' claim that Burmese workers had been stealing food and valuables from the tsunami-hit hotels, he said.

He urged employers to look after their Burmese workers well if they wanted them to stop committing crimes.

``Many employers abandoned their workers after the disaster. However, the authorities do not want to aggravate the situation further, so we will just send the unemployed back without punishing the employers,'' he said.

Edited January 11, 2005 by Sphere

[mffun]

Burmese receiving no help

They are being seen as `not worthy' of aid

KULTIDA SAMABUDDHI (for Bangkok Post)

Phangnga _ While foreign tourists and Thais who survived the monster waves have been provided with shelter, basic facilities and financial assistance, hundreds of Burmese workers that are still alive and kicking are being treated as if they don't even exist.

Forget about the 20,000-baht compensation for a Burmese death, 2,000-baht in aid money for an unemployed Burmese, or receiving DNA checks to find their missing relatives. Burmese workers can only think of finding food and drinking water without being arrested and deported by the immigration police who have stepped up their crackdown against them.

Thai villagers and police have accused many of the illegal Burmese workers of theft and break-ins at tsunami-damaged hotels. Only Burmese with work permits and those who were brought back for work by their employers are not being branded as criminals. Auig, 25, a Burmese worker at the Ban Nam Khem fishing village, said Burmese workers who had taken refuge in front of the Takua Pa district office along with some Thai villagers to escape the wrath of the tsunami, had mostly been rounded up by immigrantion police for deportation. The ones who escaped arrest had fled the province and taken refuge at a detention camp in Ranong. Auig and some 20 other Burmese workers arrived from Koh Song in Burma by boat in Ban Nam Khem five years ago in search of employment. Auig was employed as a helper by a Thai fish vendor and received a monthly salary of 3,000 baht before the tsunami devastation.

According to Auig, more than half of about the 2,000 Burmese workers in Ban Nam Khem were missing.

He lost two elder brothers in the disaster and found the body of one and handed it to a rescue party because he had no money to arrange a cremation.

``We haven't received any help from the Thai Government, but it's fine. We have no right to complain,'' Auig said, adding he could not go back to Ban Nam Khem because his employer had also been killed by the waves along with five of his family members. Thouse, 25, a Burmese worker from Ban Nam Khem, said Burmese workers dared not go to Wat Yanyao to search for the dead bodies of their relatives as they were afraid of being arrested.

The Burmese survivors fled in all directions after the tsunami catastrophe, he said, adding some had even set up a camp in a deep jungle on the high mountains. Others were arrested and deported to Burma, and the rest presumed dead.

Meanwhile, a Burmese immigrant advocate called on the government to provide humanitarian aid to alien labourers on par with Thais and foreign tourists.

``Alien workers should not be a subject of discrimination under the disaster relief scheme. These people are severely affected in the same way as Thais and foreign tourists,'' said the activist, who asked for anonymity. Jakkaphan Sareung, head of the Labour Ministry's illegal alien workers suppression unit, said there were about 20,000 Burmese workers in Phangnga. Of this, about 1,000 were deported after the disaster. ``The remaining are hiding in a deep jungle or have returned to their employers,'' he said, adding the officers had deported only the permitless workers and those who wanted to return home.

The ministry and the immigration police yesterday launched joint patrols in Takua Pa District in response to Thai villagers' claim that Burmese workers had been stealing food and valuables from the tsunami-hit hotels, he said.

He urged employers to look after their Burmese workers well if they wanted them to stop committing crimes.

``Many employers abandoned their workers after the disaster. However, the authorities do not want to aggravate the situation further, so we will just send the unemployed back without punishing the employers,'' he said.

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