Migrants rescued from island

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Laignee Barron

Seventy-five Cambodian migrant workers, their paperwork in order, believed they were en route to high-paying construction jobs in Thailand. Instead, the group of workers and six children were carted to an island 12 hours south of Bangkok and abandoned, given no money, food or jobs.

Ten days into being stranded, the desperate Cambodians sought the help of the villagers on Koh Mook to get off the island before they starved. Thai marine police staged a rescue on Sunday and brought the workers back to shore, the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed yesterday.

“We are trying to help them [get back to Cambodia], but whatever happens will depend on the laws in Thailand,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong said.

According to Thai media reports, the abandoned workers had all sought employment through the proper legal channels, registering in Thailand’s Sa Kaeo province at one of the newly opened “one-stop service centres”. But the catastrophe they encountered reveals continued shortcomings in the system, according to rights monitors.

“What’s clear from this episode is Thailand’s so-called ‘new’ registration system has a long way to go,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch. “Time and time again, one sees the same dodgy recruitment schemes with false promises, seized passports and workers’ papers, and a lack of labour protections that leave workers with little or nothing.”

Thailand’s ruling junta launched the temporary registration system for foreign workers in early June after more than 225,000 mostly undocumented Cambodian workers fled the country following the May 22 coup. The centres have so far registered and handed out work permits and temporary residency cards to over 440,000 workers.

Despite the good intentions behind the registration system, it may actually be making brokers and traffickers’ jobs easier. Any Thai person, regardless of whether they own or operate a business, can sponsor migrant workers as long as they have submitted a list of workers’ names, according to Bangkok-based migration expert Andy Hall.

Thailand’s registration centres are also out of sync with Cambodian guidelines.

“There is no agreement between the Cambodian government and Thai government on the process and fee[s] for foreign worker registration,” said Camille Dumont, communication specialist for Winrock International Counter Trafficking in Persons.

Last month, Cambodia issued a prakas on a $49 legal route back to employment in Thailand, but “at the moment, it is not an available option for migrants”, Dumont said.

Meanwhile, Thailand’s system isn’t offering any better solutions.

“There have been a lot of announcements from both sides, but still nothing is clear and problems remain,” said Moeun Tola, labour head at legal aid NGO CLEC.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY VONG SOKHENG

 

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/migrants-rescued-island

 

 

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THE NATION on this story

 

75 ADULTS, SIX KIDS LURED TO BUILD A RESORT LEFT ABANDONED ON ISLAND

SEVENTY-FIVE Cambodian workers and six children marooned for 10 days after being lured to build a resort on Koh Mook in Trang's Kantang district were rescued on Sunday evening.

Meanwhile, Employment Department chief Sumet Mahosot yesterday said 444,097 migrant workers and 48,541 accompanying persons had registered at the 34 "one-stop" service centres nationwide and as a result the scheme would be expanded to 53 provinces and the operation time extended until next March 31.

Sunday's rescue mission by Trang marine police and soldiers from the Phraya Ratsadanu Pradit Camp began after the workers asked local villagers to call the authorities so they could return to Cambodia.

There were 109 Cambodians in total but 27 workers had been moved to work in Yan Ta Khao district.

The police investigation found that the workers had obtained legal documents from Sa Kaew authorities but were taken to the island by their employer, who collected them from Sa Kaew's Rong Kleu Market area.

A Cambodian worker said they had been promised construction jobs in Bangkok.

He said that when several workers resisted, the employer seized their passports and work documents and threatened to have them arrested.

They had been on the island for 10 days without jobs, money or food, with resort workers and villagers helping them as much as they could. He said that fearing abandonment and starving to death, the workers asked villagers to call for help. Police are keeping the workers - who can stay in the country until September 23 - in Muang Kantang municipality while they investigate.

Their employer, Pran Rakmai, 43, has presented himself to police.

Pran insisted he had no intention of illegally detaining them or becoming involved in human trafficking. He said he had spent Bt700,000 on bringing them to the island and they had no jobs because he had to negotiate with the resort owner over the construction price.

Some workers might have misunderstood what they would be doing, he said, and he kept some passports and documents because he didn't have time to fill out information before they boarded the boat to the island.

Police yesterday summoned the resort owner to provide information.

 

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Police-rescue-stranded-Cambodians-30240234.html

[EnzoRippo]

This PRAN guy is just considering his Cambodian workers as animals or robots. He's crying on the money he spent (700,000 THB!!!!! did he use limousine to bring them here?) but he does not imagine they need to eat.

And the Thai style  killing sentence ending the discussion "Some workers might have misunderstood". I prefer to do not comment on the passport story.

May be some improvement in the processes but no improvement at all in the Thai mentality considering the neighbors as inferior.