Four Thais Jailed Over 54 Myanmar Migrant Deaths

[webfact]

Four Thais jailed over 54 Myanmar migrant deaths

BANGKOK, Dec 28, 2012 (AFP) - Four people smugglers were sentenced to up to 10 years in prison by a Thai court after 54 illegal workers from Myanmar suffocated to death inside a seafood container, an official said Friday.

The 2008 incident was the deadliest in a wave of tragedies afflicting migrants making perilous journeys from impoverished Myanmar in search of work in neighbouring Thailand, where they often end up exploited and abused.

The victims were among 121 people crammed into the six metres (20 feet) by 2.2 metres container with a broken ventilation system for the journey to the resort island of Phuket to work as day labourers.

Four Thais were convicted on Thursday of gross negligence resulting in death and of breaking immigration laws, an official from a court in the country's southern Ranong province told AFP.

The owner of the container truck was sentenced to 10 years in prison, a second defendant received nine years and a third -- who owned a jetty in southern Thailand where the migrants arrived by boat -- was jailed for six years.

A woman defendant had her sentence halved to three years after confessing, the official said.

"Three of them were granted bail of between $13,000 and $6,500 while they file appeals," the official said, adding that one defendant had been held in custody after failing to meet bail terms.

The truck driver, who fled the scene after discovering the tragedy, was jailed for six years in August 2008 having admitted to his role in the crime, the official added.

Survivors have recounted desperately trying to raise the alarm as they fought for breath in the storage box.

"No matter how many times we hit the container the driver did not pay any attention," one female migrant who was on board told Thai television.

More than two million migrant workers are registered to work in Thailand, most of them from Myanmar, labour ministry figures show, but as many as one million undocumented workers are believed to be in the kingdom.

Thailand this week extended a deadline by three months for unregistered migrants to gain a work permit or face deportation.

Huge numbers of people from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar work illegally in low-paid jobs in construction, seafood processing and clothing factories, where a lack of legal status leaves them vulnerable to exploitation.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2012-12-28

[robertthebruce]

Words fail me..

apart from the word ''Pathetic''

No justice for the dead, thats for sure..

R.I.P.

[Soutpeel]

nice to see some justice is being served, but of course you will notice the people who have been put in prison are "logisitc's" side of the operation, the people who organised this and, those who would have been making the real money have not been charged...these 4 are just minnons in the operation

[Mosha]

If this is the case I remember, my wife knows the driver's mother. A bit of a snooty cow. He actually got out of the truck to tell them to be quiet, when they were banging on the walls and shouting that they were dieing. I'll ask her when she gets in.

[tangcoral]

6 years for 54 death...less than a month per a death.

Being from the US that seems kinda short.

[geovalin]

AFP is very clear "where they often end up exploited and abused.". Will TheNation and the Post use the same words?

[Vinny1967]

I wonder if the sentence would of been higher if they were thai nationals inside the container ?

[kevvy]

I wonder if the sentence would of been higher if they were thai nationals inside the container ?

for sure you cant touch thai people even if they scam you , then you have to fight the police as well..

[pacovl46]

So, let me get this straight, you've got a few grams of an illegal substance on you and you get 25 years, but when you let 54 people suffocate you get only 10??? Seems legit!

Edited December 28, 2012 by pacovl46

[webfact]

RANONG

Four Thais jailed over 54 Myanmar migrant deaths in 2008

The Nation

File photo

RANONG: -- A court in Ranong province has sentenced four Thais to up to 10 years in prison for their involvement in the deaths of 54 illegal workers from Myanmar who suffocated to death inside a seafood container in 2008.

Myanmarese workers have long been required by the Thai labour market, particularly in the fishery and construction sectors, while Myanmar people want to land jobs in Thailand due to the higher income.

The victims were among 121 people packed into a seafood container with a broken ventilation system travelling from Ranong to the seaside province of Phuket in April 9, 2008.

During the journey, seeing that some of the workers had started collapsing due to lack of air, their friends banged on the walls of the container to alert the driver, Suchon Boonplong, who ignored them. He finally stopped the truck and opened the back of the container, fleeing the scene when he saw the dead bodies.

Suchon later surrendered to police and implicated four others: the truck owner, Dumrong Pussadee, Chalermchai Warischanpleng, Jirawat Sopapanwarakul and Punchalee Chusung. The four were charged with involvement in the human smuggling network and gross negligence resulting in death.

Dumrong, the truck owner, was sentenced to 10 years in prison, Chalermchai nine years, Jirawat and Suchon six years each and Panchalee three years.

-- The Nation 2012-12-28

[noob7]

I wonder if the sentence would of been higher if they were thai nationals inside the container ?

The sentence is probably because of "breaking immigration laws" and got caught.

Not really b/c of the dead people! Or bringing in illegals.

It's understandable, isn't it?

Pointing out, that this people got only found, b/c 54 were dead, already, and the truck were parked aside, that need face restoring sentences!

[noob7]

So, let me get this straight, you've got a few grams of an illegal substance on you and you get 25 years, but when you let 54 people suffocate you get only 10??? Seems legit!

10+9+6+3=28

Plus the drivers sentence (6years).

Thai justice is spot on!

Edited December 28, 2012 by noob7

[saroq]

6 years for 54 death...less than a month per a death.

Being from the US that seems kinda short.

Tragic for sure and a max of 10 years for 54 deaths is short. As mentioned in another TV post these guys are just the bunnies left holding the bag, the real criminals received no punishment at all.

[Bluespunk]

Pathetic sentences.

[thomash]

They murder 54 people and only get up to 10 years then they are out on bail? You have to be joking, I guess this is called Thai justice. So how many years did that poor Thai man get for supposedly text messaging something negative about the Queen? 20 years, and by the way he died last May in jail while serving his 20 year sentence, very sad.

[culicine]

Pathetic sentences.

And getting bail for such an atrocity makes a mockery of the Thai 'justice' system. They have been found guilty. Surely they should be imprisoned until their appeal? Is there really any disincentive to committing crime in this country?

Edited December 28, 2012 by culicine

[Mosha]

Wife says the driver is due for release. I assume that's from local gossip.

[Tchooptip]

They murder 54 people and only get up to 10 years then they are out on bail? You have to be joking, I guess this is called Thai justice. So how many years did that poor Thai man get for supposedly text messaging something negative about the Queen? 20 years, and by the way he died last May in jail while serving his 20 year sentence, very sad.

Yes shocking comparison !

[Mosha]

They murder 54 people and only get up to 10 years then they are out on bail? You have to be joking, I guess this is called Thai justice. So how many years did that poor Thai man get for supposedly text messaging something negative about the Queen? 20 years, and by the way he died last May in jail while serving his 20 year sentence, very sad.

Thais take such matters seriously. Be careful what you say. As to the topic, pathetic sentences.

[Misterwhisper]

Why weren't they tried for 54 cases of at least man slaughter, if not murder? Oh, I know why: the dead were Burmese, not Thai.

[lizardtongue]

Sad thing is that there is obviously a lot of money to be made judging by the amount of bail posted, this thing is a world wide problem it's not confined to Thailand.

[pedro01]

I think it's fairly clear what has happened here.

Of course the sentence is not for the crime itself. It's part of an agreement. It is nothing at all to do with the sanctity of life or whether the victims were Thai or otherwise.

Any more than that and I could end up in jail.

Edited December 28, 2012 by pedro01

[indyuk]

I am on topic effect . There was cause and effect for this crime. The cause that enables the criminals to commit type of crime prevails to this day. When and how can the trafficking be stopped? Does anyone even bother addressing this this shameful problem?

[maidu]

Wife says the driver is due for release. I assume that's from local gossip.

Before I read the above, I knew that there would be early releases.

Thai social divisions are extremely stratified. Burmese laborers are at the bottom rungs. Some of my best friends are Burmese migrants, and I hear 1st hand how they've been taken advantage of, and treated like dirt. It won't change, any more than Thais will stop believing in ghosts.

[pedro01]

I am on topic effect . There was cause and effect for this crime. The cause that enables the criminals to commit type of crime prevails to this day. When and how can the trafficking be stopped? Does anyone even bother addressing this this shameful problem?

Trafficking isn't the issue.

The fact is, no matter what the crime here, there is a way to evade punishment. There are a few exceptions to this and these are mostly to do with saving face.

In effect, there is no law here.

Despite these people being fairly low on the scale, someone has obviously taken care of things for them. I have seen this occur before. An employer taking care of his employees so to speak. I once saw this occur to the tune of over US$500k, an amount not to be sniffed at. It was a long negotiation process and required specialists in the field but this is how the system works here. Don't think for a second that it's a case of just having the money. Not just anyone can bribe a XXXXX

This punishment is not a reflection on the law or on the way Thais view other ethnic groups. It is simply a reflection of a system that is corrupt to it's core.

These things are simply a result of there being no law here and where punishment involves nothing more than paying a little tax on the proceeds of your crimes.

I think people are reading too much into this verdict.

Edited December 28, 2012 by pedro01

[twinpin]

Bail after being found guilty . Unbelivable. well it would be in the western world. But money is Number 1 in Thailand.

[Mosha]

Perhaps more of these cases might pop up if all those army checkpoints on the Ranong borders actually had the trucks open their doors. You can't get out of Ranong by road without crossing one.

[TackyToo]

They murder 54 people and only get up to 10 years then they are out on bail? You have to be joking, I guess this is called Thai justice. So how many years did that poor Thai man get for supposedly text messaging something negative about the Queen? 20 years, and by the way he died last May in jail while serving his 20 year sentence, very sad.

Thais take such matters seriously. Be careful what you say. As to the topic, pathetic sentences.

Be careful what you say,- Is that why you chose the motto: The invisible farrang?

[Mosha]

They murder 54 people and only get up to 10 years then they are out on bail? You have to be joking, I guess this is called Thai justice. So how many years did that poor Thai man get for supposedly text messaging something negative about the Queen? 20 years, and by the way he died last May in jail while serving his 20 year sentence, very sad.

Thais take such matters seriously. Be careful what you say. As to the topic, pathetic sentences.

Be careful what you say,- Is that why you chose the motto: The invisible farrang?

No it's cos to some family members who walk past me looking for my wife, and only bother to do so on the way out. It's a self piss take.

[pacovl46]

So, let me get this straight, you've got a few grams of an illegal substance on you and you get 25 years, but when you let 54 people suffocate you get only 10??? Seems legit!

10+9+6+3=28

Plus the drivers sentence (6years).

Thai justice is spot on!

Yes, but if they had been caught with heroin or crystal meth for example it would've been 25 each. I guess it helped that the victims were from Myanmar.

Edited December 29, 2012 by pacovl46