Key human trafficking suspect arrested

[Lite Beer]

Key human trafficking suspect arrested


A file photo in 2009 shows some illegal workers working on a fishing boat who were captured.

BANGKOK - Thai authorities have arrested and charged a suspected human trafficker who allegedly sold hundreds of migrants from Myanmar into slavery to work in Thailand's fishing industry, police said Saturday.

Ko Myo, a 42-year-old Myanmar national, was captured in a raid by police and justice officials on Aug. 1 in Thailand’s southern province of Surat Thani and faces human trafficking charges, said Police Maj. Gen. Chavalit Sawangpuech.

"This is a very significant case as Ko Myo is the leader of one of most notorious human trafficking rings in Thailand," Chavalit said. "He is an agent with a large client base, who has abused his own countrymen on Thai soil for 10 years."

Ko Myo is being held in custody at a hospital after sustaining gunshot wounds during the raid.

Chavalit said police were also investigating his alleged involvement in the rape and killing of a Myanmar woman in March in Thailand’s Trang province, on the Andaman coast.

Three of Ko Myo’s close aides were arrested in separate raids. All three face human trafficking charges, while two were also charged with rape and murder of the same Myanmar woman.

Chavalit said Thai police would reach out to their counterparts in Myanmar to try to arrest more human trafficking suspects.

The London-based Environmental Justice Foundation said in a statement Friday that it welcomed the capture of the suspects and called for parties "to work together to prevent human trafficking in Thai seafood production and bring an end to this devastating practice."

-- The Nation 2013-08-11

[noitom]

This is a joke for sure. A lowly Burmese "handler" gets busted and the Thais make news about it. We'll wait to see if any Thai Mr. Bigs in the fishing industry and trades that service them get busted.

[clockman]

Never a Thai!!!!!!!!!

[assayer]

Key human trafficking suspect arrested

It seems to me(IMHO), that a key trafficking suspect would be some of the Thai police who are aiding the trawler captains in their activities.

[noitom]

The photo is preposterous. A posed photo and setup if there ever was one. They are all cleaned, polished, clothed, and handcuffed neatly. All lined up with their clean little plates and some rice soup or whatever. Does any Thai authority think that the public are fools and can be taken in by this agitprop photo?

[tomross46]

This is all for the foreign press. It has nothing to do with reality. Now the Labor Minister can say that the problem with trafficking of foreigners slaves in the labor market has been resolved. Now, since the problem has been resolved, when will the Obama administration resolve the trafficking of Mexican slave labor over the border of the USA? Pol. Capt Chalrm should go to the USA to help Obama solve the problem.

[chrisinth]

What happens to the "illegal workers" after being freed from a life of slavery through human trafficking as depicted in the photograph in the OP?

Are they still punished through the legal system and deported back to their country of origin?

Are all the people in plasti-cuffs slaves?

"He is an agent with a large client base, who has abused his own countrymen on Thai soil for 10 years."

If they know about the large client base, why is it still intact? Remove the demand, stop the supply. Yes, I know, wishful thinking.

In all cases like this, until a proper intelligence system is operational with the ability to correctly correlate, assess and take positive action on the information attained, then nothing will change.

Fact!

[dru2]

Indeed, it is never an ethnic Thai - let alone, god forbid, a Sino-Thai. Up here in the hills, as everyone knows, it's the Lahu and other chao khao who invariably take the fall for the multi-billion ya ba and heroin industries... Yes, it's those damn foreigners. And here's another one slandering the blameless Thais...

[PoodMaiDai]

Now the obligatory Thai press nonsense is out of the way and foreigner has been blamed, back to slaving!

[DGIE]

These people called slaves were willing to work for a salary for sure.

But they are underpaid. If they are paid good, it is just okay for them being recruited.

[marell]

The photo is preposterous. A posed photo and setup if there ever was one. They are all cleaned, polished, clothed, and handcuffed neatly. All lined up with their clean little plates and some rice soup or whatever. Does any Thai authority think that the public are fools and can be taken in by this agitprop photo?

The answer to your question is 'yes'.

[Mampara]

The photo is preposterous. A posed photo and setup if there ever was one. They are all cleaned, polished, clothed, and handcuffed neatly. All lined up with their clean little plates and some rice soup or whatever. Does any Thai authority think that the public are fools and can be taken in by this agitprop photo?

well it a lot better to see them clothed and fed than some of the photos of what some of the slaves looked like that were kept captive by cotton farmers in the days of the western slavery by Anglo-Americans.

[Mampara]

What happens to the "illegal workers" after being freed from a life of slavery through human trafficking as depicted in the photograph in the OP?

Are they still punished through the legal system and deported back to their country of origin?

Are all the people in plasti-cuffs slaves?

"He is an agent with a large client base, who has abused his own countrymen on Thai soil for 10 years."

If they know about the large client base, why is it still intact? Remove the demand, stop the supply. Yes, I know, wishful thinking.

In all cases like this, until a proper intelligence system is operational with the ability to correctly correlate, assess and take positive action on the information attained, then nothing will change.

Fact!

Fact! what happened to the freed slaves in your country? the same as above or not?

[oldsailor35]

The photo is preposterous. A posed photo and setup if there ever was one. They are all cleaned, polished, clothed, and handcuffed neatly. All lined up with their clean little plates and some rice soup or whatever. Does any Thai authority think that the public are fools and can be taken in by this agitprop photo?

well it a lot better to see them clothed and fed than some of the photos of what some of the slaves looked like that were kept captive by cotton farmers in the days of the western slavery by Anglo-Americans.

Hang on a minute ....stupid ! that was'nt yesterday.........was it ?

[hellodolly]

The photo is preposterous. A posed photo and setup if there ever was one. They are all cleaned, polished, clothed, and handcuffed neatly. All lined up with their clean little plates and some rice soup or whatever. Does any Thai authority think that the public are fools and can be taken in by this agitprop photo?

Did you not read the Line below it.

"A file photo in 2009 shows some illegal workers working on a fishing boat who were captured."

I don't see any handcuffs. Can't find any place that say's they were just taken into captivity. I am quite sure the police did give them time to clean up. But I fail to see how that takes away from the reality.

[Psych01]

I think this is a bit fishy myself, excuse the pun as it is not intended. I find it a bit strange how after 10 years they have never caught this man and now, a week later or so after an article about the human trafficking that happens here in LOS, they have caught a BIG FISH in the human trafficking in the area the and they know he has a "large client base".