Phuket Gov to crack down on work camps, developers' excesses

[webfact]

Phuket Gov to crack down on work camps, developers' excesses
Nattha Thepbamrung


Most construction worker camps consist of insanitary, unsafe tin shacks. This is the one at the airport.

PHUKET: -- Following the riot between Burmese and Cambodian construction workers in the work camp at Phuket International Airport on New Year’s Day, Governor Nisit Jansomwong is to set up a team to check conditions in all work camps around the island.

At a meeting on Friday (January 9) of the provincial committee that approves development projects, he said, “After the case … at the airport camp, I visited the site and found that the worker’s camp … like other [similar] sites, lacks hygiene and safety.

“There are 1,500 camps across the island in each of which there are between 20 and 2,000 people living together.

“Developers of housing projects have to be more concerned about workers’ safety, cleanliness and hygiene. These people stay here long-term and live among us, so there is a risk of epidemics of disease when they live like this.”

The inspection team would be established in a matter of days, he said.

The Governor also told the committee that it must look more strictly at the location and history of land being developed.

“I’ve heard of many cases of wetlands and tin mine lakes being filled in, which is illegal.

“You have to make sure that there is no problem over the land before approving a housing project.

“Also, if the land is being filled legally, make sure that the infill comes from a legal source, not from a hill [where excavation] will later cause landslides.

“And construction must not block natural drainage, which will cause floods in the area,” he stressed.

He also told the committee to be very careful about approving housing projects by companies that already had developments elsewhere that are not yet complete.

“There have been complaints to the Damrongtham Centre from buyers who could not get their money back from developers [whose projects failed]. We have to protect them from the beginning.

“This is not just about individual buyers. It also has implications for the national economy. Such situations could result in banks suffering from non-performing loans, which in turn could bring about an economic crisis.”

The tom yam gung Asian financial collapse of 1997 was triggered in large part by overextended developers in Thailand who could not repay loans to banks.

As a result, by 1999, Thai banks were saddled with massive unpaid debt equalling half of all the loans they had made.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-gov-to-crack-down-on-work-camps-developers-excesses-50508.php

-- Thai PBS 2015-01-12

[razer]

Anyone who has lived in BKK for 5 years or longer has seen so-o-o many high rises go up for high end clientele both condos and office. The ROI must be very low. But it goes on and on and on. Some people are getting very very rich. It does not take a rocket scientist to know it is not sustainable. But ... TIT.

[anon022]

Too little, too late.

[spidermike007]

PHUKET: -- Following the riot between Burmese and Cambodian construction workers in the work camp at Phuket International Airport on New Year’s Day, Governor Nisit Jansomwong is to set up a team to check conditions in all work camps around the island.

At a meeting on Friday (January 9) of the provincial committee that approves development projects, he said, “After the case … at the airport camp, I visited the site and found that the worker’s camp … like other [similar] sites, lacks hygiene and safety.

“There are 1,500 camps across the island in each of which there are between 20 and 2,000 people living together.

“Developers of housing projects have to be more concerned about workers’ safety, cleanliness and hygiene. These people stay here long-term and live among us, so there is a risk of epidemics of disease when they live like this.”

This is great stuff. The governor is suggesting that these developers who are making billions of baht, and living the lives most of us can only dream about, treat their employees fairly. And he is suggesting it in such as way as to be an innovative, and unique concept! <deleted>? Is it not simple, common understanding to treat ones fellow man in a fair manner? Is that not to be expected? Are there no regulations in place at this time to ensure this is done? And if not, why not? Why such disregard for these migrant workers, who bring so much to the table in the way of labor and skills, are paid a low wage, have to endure substandard living conditions, and more than likely have to be apart from their families for extended periods, all because they had the misfortune to have been born in a God forsaken country like Burma? I think Jansomwong needs to pull his head out of the sand, and get a life.

[jpeg]

Okay then. Bearing in mind this is posted in the Phuket Forum. Where to start? The Thai run Burmese camps here on Phuket are indeed unsanitary and disease ridden slums. Slum shanties with, at best a tin hong nam which runs out onto the public sois. A Thai neighbour has become so sick of the stench, he has put up a sign asking them not to 'shit here'. I did point out they had no option.

BUT. As No refuse collection is available unless you have 'proof of residency/occupancy', the local OBJ's will not collect their rubbish, therefore leaving them to simply throw their garbage filled plastic bags in and around their shacks. I have personally admonished them on this, but they just say 'Where else can we put it?' 'You have bikes, take it with you every time you go out and put it in a waste disposal bin on the road'. 'We never see'.

The OBJs should and must make this a priority in their keeping the island/country, clean. Particularly on Phuket where, as far as I am aware, those at the trough are already making over and way above their salaries from kickbacks from the almighty tourist dollar. Ruble/yen

[natway09]

Long overdue. Bangkok Governor "take heed"