Burmese trafficking victims freed from Thai vessels

Eighteen Burmese nationals who were sold as fishers to two Thai captains have been released thanks to a joint operation in Thailand.

The men were set free this week following a raid on the boats and brokers’ homes in the Thai fishing town of Samaesan in Sattahip Province. The raid was part of a joint operation involving the ITF-affiliated Seafarers’ Union of Burma (SUB) (which operates in exile in Thailand), the Labour Rights Promotion Network and the Thai Department of Special Investigation (DSI).

Job brokers inside Burma had promised the victims that they would be assigned to factory jobs in Thailand; instead they were sold as fishers to the captains of two Thai vessels. Once on board the vessels, they were told that they would have to sacrifice their wages to pay off the trafficking costs, amounting to 22,000 baht (US$650).

Alerted by two of the fishermen working on one of the boats, the DSI police raided the vessels; they interrogated one of the captains – the other absconded after he found out about their visit.

Meanwhile, Ko Ko Aung of the SUB told the fishers that they were free to leave the vessel.

Raids were also carried out on brokers’ homes where others, who had been held captive there, were freed; the brokers were arrested.

The victims were sent to a government safe house for people who have been trafficked.

Aung Thu Ya, SUB president, stated that he believed the government in Burma was responsible for the trafficking problem because Burmese fishers had in the past been arrested for seeking help from trade unions and had had their seafarers’ licences revoked when they returned to Burma. He added that Thai skippers considered fish more important than Burmese fishers.