The plight of undocumented Burmese workers in Thailand

[Aepsilons]

Burmese migrant workers in Thailand have entered the international spotlight, following the trial of labor rights activist Andy Hall and the widely questioned arrest of two Burmese laborers on charges of murdering two British tourists on the holiday island of Koh Tao.

An estimated two million Burmese are working inside Thailand, some documented and others there illegally, escaping decades of war back home. Apart from the lack of job opportunities in their own country, many are escaping extreme poverty. Most are in construction, working up to ten hours a day, seven days a week.

Labor rights groups have noted that the majority or Burmese migrants are working for half the allowed minimum wage of 300 baht ($9.25) a day. Given the hard nature of their work, many are exposed to a constant risk of injury or worse. Medical insurance is close to non-existent

Migrant workers are often subjected to bonded labor, in which the migrant is forced to work to repay some form of debt. The system is often abused, and the workers are easy prey for corrupt officials and human traffickers.

Yet despite the hardships, Burmese continue to take their chance in Thailand, seeking a better life for their loved ones.

Photojournalist Rohan Radheya spend three weeks living among migrant workers in several parts of Thailand. He reports from that experience in the following photo essay, which has been submitted to the World Press-sponsored Tim Hetherington Grant 2014.


Burmese Migrant Workers in Thailand | The Diplomat

 

[somsak]

Thailand justice system,.............. I dare not say.

We like burmese employee, in general.

 

[Aepsilons]

Thailand justice system,.............. I dare not say.

We like burmese employee, in general.

I hope so! I mean there are over 2 million in Thailand. Do they intend to stay in Muang Thai indefinitely or...go back to their own country?

 

[somsak]

I hope so! I mean there are over 2 million in Thailand. Do they intend to stay in Muang Thai indefinitely or...go back to their own country?

majority will want to go back. But if some won't , its ok for.me. Myanmar people are in general not criminals. Ofcause Ihate criminials. On above case, I personally believe 2 Myanmese are not the guiltiest. The one behind this murder is Thai. Though these 2 Myanmese may or may not involve in the.crimes. Generalize to all Myanmar oopulation in Thailand is absurd. Myanmese are very far from homogeneous. If you call Karen or Dai person Myanmese he think u r insulting him.

 

[Aepsilons]

majority will want to go back. But if some won't , its ok for.me. Myanmar people are in general not criminals. Ofcause Ihate criminials. On above case, I personally believe 2 Myanmese are not the guiltiest. The one behind this murder is Thai. Though these 2 Myanmese may or may not involve in the.crimes. Generalize to all Myanmar oopulation in Thailand is absurd. Myanmese are very far from homogeneous. If you call Karen or Dai person Myanmese he think u r insulting him.

Good point, especially about the multiethnicity of people in Burma. I know that certain members of the Shan State in Burma want to be part of Thailand. Has that been put on hold by the Thai side? They (Shan State Army) remain intact and very well armed actually.

 

[somsak]

Good point, especially about the multiethnicity of people in Burma. I know that certain members of the Shan State in Burma want to be part of Thailand. Has that been put on hold by the Thai side? They (Shan State Army) remain intact and very well armed actually.

I cannot say for Thailand. I welcome Shan's population to take refugee/long stay/or even neutralize in Thailand if suppression/rape/war are too unbearable. However, if they come, they should be treated like foreigner for 20 years before their loyalty/culture changes. A new born of these immigrants are very welcome to be Thai. We already have Thai citizen of Dai ethnic (quite confusing).

For them to be independence, I think it is difficult. They will have to pay the price in blood just like every nation on earth and won Myanmar militarily. Thailand is highly unlikely to wage war with Burma to gain this land, at least in my life time. I think

 

[Sonyuke_Songpaisan]

I cannot say for Thailand. I welcome Shan's population to take refugee/long stay/or even neutralize in Thailand if suppression/rape/war are too unbearable. However, if they come, they should be treated like foreigner for 20 years before their loyalty/culture changes. A new born of these immigrants are very welcome to be Thai. We already have Thai citizen of Dai ethnic (quite confusing).

For them to be independence, I think it is difficult. They will have to pay the price in blood just like every nation on earth and won Myanmar militarily. Thailand is highly unlikely to wage war with Burma to gain this land, at least in my life time. I think

some of the plances in shan are not even under control of Burma centeral gov. There is deeply chinese influence too

 

[Aepsilons]

I cannot say for Thailand. I welcome Shan's population to take refugee/long stay/or even neutralize in Thailand if suppression/rape/war are too unbearable. However, if they come, they should be treated like foreigner for 20 years before their loyalty/culture changes. A new born of these immigrants are very welcome to be Thai. We already have Thai citizen of Dai ethnic (quite confusing).

For them to be independence, I think it is difficult. They will have to pay the price in blood just like every nation on earth and won Myanmar militarily. Thailand is highly unlikely to wage war with Burma to gain this land, at least in my life time. I think

The Shan State Army , in my readings, are calling for union with Thailand. And I am sure there are nationalist elements in Muang Thai that would want Shan State to be united with Thailand. This is a large entity, by the way. The population of Shan State is over 5 million. It is almost the size of Laos. The Shan State Army's size is estimated any where around 15,000 to 20,000.

The Shan State Army is also militarily allied with the Arakan Liberation Party, Chin National Front, Kachin National Organization, Karen National Union, Karenni National Congress.


Shan State Paramilitary Force,

Thailand is highly unlikely to wage war with Burma to gain this land

But Shan people are culturally, genetically , racially of the Tai Race. Their dialect is similar to Chiang Mai dialect. They are descendents of your Great King, Ramkhamhaeng of Sukkothai. They are closer to Thai and alien to Burmans, who are Sino-Tibetan.

Thais, Shan, and Laotians are part of the Greater Tai Family. They are your kin.

 

[DeVice]

Myanmar is a country in civil war.

A lot of rebellion there.

 

[alaungphaya]

The Shan State Army , in my readings, are calling for union with Thailand. And I am sure there are nationalist elements in Muang Thai that would want Shan State to be united with Thailand. This is a large entity, by the way. The population of Shan State is over 5 million. It is almost the size of Laos. The Shan State Army's size is estimated any where around 15,000 to 20,000.

The Shan State Army is also militarily allied with the Arakan Liberation Party, Chin National Front, Kachin National Organization, Karen National Union, Karenni National Congress.


Shan State Paramilitary Force,

But Shan people are culturally, genetically , racially of the Tai Race. Their dialect is similar to Chiang Mai dialect. They are descendents of your Great King, Ramkhamhaeng of Sukkothai. They are closer to Thai and alien to Burmans, who are Sino-Tibetan.

Thais, Shan, and Laotians are part of the Greater Tai Family. They are your kin.

I hope you grew a pair of balls and unblocked me so you can read this. What brain farts are you coming up with now?

The Shan are not going to join Thailand and the SSA are one of the most pacified ethnic armies and the ones most perceptive to the new order. The Shan are heavily represented in the hluttaw (parliament) and in the military. The recent ex-vice president was a Shan. What nonsense have you been reading?

majority will want to go back. But if some won't , its ok for.me. Myanmar people are in general not criminals. Ofcause Ihate criminials. On above case, I personally believe 2 Myanmese are not the guiltiest. The one behind this murder is Thai. Though these 2 Myanmese may or may not involve in the.crimes. Generalize to all Myanmar oopulation in Thailand is absurd. Myanmese are very far from homogeneous. If you call Karen or Dai person Myanmese he think u r insulting him.

Yes, most 'Burmese' workers in Thailand are either Shan, Mon or mostly Karen (because of geographic proximity). Your junta has been quite busy persecuting migrant workers both Myanmar and Cambodian. I suggest this is a losing strategy for you as you need cheap labour. One of the main objectives of the current government is to entice these unskilled labourers back because the Myanmar business community are finding labour costs too high (this is why we can't compete with the likes of Bangladesh in cheap, unskilled labour) despite our apparent poverty. This has become more of an imperative after the recent census which showed the population to be lower than estimated.

 

[alaungphaya]

I cannot say for Thailand. I welcome Shan's population to take refugee/long stay/or even neutralize in Thailand if suppression/rape/war are too unbearable. However, if they come, they should be treated like foreigner for 20 years before their loyalty/culture changes. A new born of these immigrants are very welcome to be Thai. We already have Thai citizen of Dai ethnic (quite confusing).

For them to be independence, I think it is difficult. They will have to pay the price in blood just like every nation on earth and won Myanmar militarily. Thailand is highly unlikely to wage war with Burma to gain this land, at least in my life time. I think

I wasn't aware that there were many Shan taking refuge in Thailand. The ones that do tend to be Karen.

As for their background, they are Tai people that were conquered in either the 11th, 12th or 13 century (I forget exactly). Ever since, they were ruled by a series of fiefdoms led by princelings (called sawbwars) who on the whole took orders from the King of Burma and carried out administrative duties such as collecting taxes. Despite their Chinese cultural influence, they have always sided with the Burmese in any conflict with the Chinese. In the Sino-Burmese wars for example (which we won), the Chinese were angry that they could not bring these sawbwars under their suzerainty.

Overall, I very much like the Shan. I'm gad I never had to meet them on an ancient battlefield, though!

Myanmar is a country in civil war.

A lot of rebellion there.

There really isn't. One has to remember that Myanmar is less of a country but the reconstituted remanence of the old Burmese empire so there is always going to be friction when there is an authoritarian rule. But in the aftermath of the reforms, all the various factions within are, for the most part, enfranchised.

Despite what you read in the media, the majority of ethnic peoples around the country have lived their lives with almost no knowledge of the conflicts going on in their states. Something that surprised even me the more I got to know peoples of all ethnicities.