By KO HTWE Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Imprisoned Burmese migrant workers wait at Bangkok's Din Daeng Police Station (Photo: The Irrawaddy)
More than 60 Burmese migrant workers who were kept prisoner and forced to work in a Bangkok garment factory were discovered by anti-human trafficking police on Tuesday.
The factory was operated by Chinese national Dalong Wu and his wife Namee Sae Lee. Burmese workers were paid a pittance and not allowed to leave the building, but one escaped and contacted the Burma Association Thailand for help.
An official from Bangkok's Din Daeng Police Station told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday that nearly 30 migrant workers from the four raided apartments have been detained and will appear in court tomorrow.
“I went to the Thailand anti-human trafficking police accompanied with a translator on April 12 after I was contacted by one of the migrant workers. They accepted his allegations and rescued the rest,” said Kyaw Thaung, from Burma Association Thailand based in Bangkok.
According to The Bangkok Post, police officers arrested Dalong Wu and Namee Sae Lee on suspicion of breaching the Labor Act, and Lee admitted to detaining the workers inside the factory to prevent their escape.
Thein Naing said that fellow worker Phyo Wai Oo guided police to the factory and he was rescued from the building along with 19 other migrant workers from his apartment.
Thein Naing was detained in the factory for nearly two months and is now recovering in a rehabilitation center. Many of these migrants have been detained by police for lack of official documentation.
Staff from the factory had to work from 8 am until midnight, with doors and windows securely locked to prevent them escaping. Some workers had to survive on reduced wages in order to repay recruitment debts of nearly 15,000.
“I haven’t received my wages yet. They [owners] locked the door and kept watch when we went outside to throw out the garbage. They attracted us by saying they would pay 10,000 baht per month,” said Thein Naing.
Thein Naing said that he has no official documents, but labor brokers and factory leaders encourage poor Burmese people to enter Thailand and work.
There are an estimated two to three million Burmese migrants in Thailand, but only 1,310,686 have registered as official migrant workers.
“I heard that the police will investigate more and if our statements are true and we are deemed victims of trafficking we have to be sent back to Burma,” Thein Naing added.
“Phyo Wai Oo was also slapped by our boss at the police station and I found that our boss was standing in front of the rehabilitation center when the police took us there.”
The factory was operated by Chinese national Dalong Wu and his wife Namee Sae Lee. Burmese workers were paid a pittance and not allowed to leave the building, but one escaped and contacted the Burma Association Thailand for help.
An official from Bangkok's Din Daeng Police Station told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday that nearly 30 migrant workers from the four raided apartments have been detained and will appear in court tomorrow.
“I went to the Thailand anti-human trafficking police accompanied with a translator on April 12 after I was contacted by one of the migrant workers. They accepted his allegations and rescued the rest,” said Kyaw Thaung, from Burma Association Thailand based in Bangkok.
| Burmese workers climb down from the apartment in which they were detained. (Photo: The Irrawaddy) |
Thein Naing said that fellow worker Phyo Wai Oo guided police to the factory and he was rescued from the building along with 19 other migrant workers from his apartment.
Thein Naing was detained in the factory for nearly two months and is now recovering in a rehabilitation center. Many of these migrants have been detained by police for lack of official documentation.
Staff from the factory had to work from 8 am until midnight, with doors and windows securely locked to prevent them escaping. Some workers had to survive on reduced wages in order to repay recruitment debts of nearly 15,000.
“I haven’t received my wages yet. They [owners] locked the door and kept watch when we went outside to throw out the garbage. They attracted us by saying they would pay 10,000 baht per month,” said Thein Naing.
Thein Naing said that he has no official documents, but labor brokers and factory leaders encourage poor Burmese people to enter Thailand and work.
There are an estimated two to three million Burmese migrants in Thailand, but only 1,310,686 have registered as official migrant workers.
“I heard that the police will investigate more and if our statements are true and we are deemed victims of trafficking we have to be sent back to Burma,” Thein Naing added.
“Phyo Wai Oo was also slapped by our boss at the police station and I found that our boss was standing in front of the rehabilitation center when the police took us there.”
Police Raid Frees 60 Burmese Slaves
Source: irrawaddy.org
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