54 Burmese job seekers suffocate in Ranong

**dirtydog** · 10-04-2008, 11:01 AM

54 Burmese job seekers suffocate in Ranong

Fifty-four job seekers from Burma suffocated in the back of a seafood truck in Ranong province while being smuggled to the Phuket.
An additional 47 workers survived the incident late Wednesday and alerted police.Twenty-one were hospitalized while the rest were detained for questioning.
When police arrived at the scene, they found that 54 of the Burmese were already dead in the packed container truck.
Of the victims, 37 were women and 17 were men.
Police were searching for the truck's driver, who had fled the scene, and members of the smuggling gang they believed arranged the trip.
Police blamed the driver for failing to turn on the air conditioning in the back of the truck.
The surviving workers told police they sneaked into Ranong province from Burma's Victoria Point by fishing boat Wednesday night and were then packed into a small container truck for a trip to Phuket.
But after two hours, the workers told police that many of them began falling sick because of poor ventilation in the truck.
The Burmese knocked to signal the driver about the problems, he stopped the vehicle, discovered the bodies and fled.
A local villager who found the truck alerted police at about 10pm.

**Loombucket** · 10-04-2008, 02:26 PM

Bladdy hell! A nice thing for a villager to find on a hot night. Poor b*stards.

**Pansodan** · 10-04-2008, 03:48 PM

120 people in an incredibly small van, watch the pictures on Bangkok Post. Tragedy

**Pansodan** · 10-04-2008, 03:49 PM

The victims were among 121 people crammed inside a container that was six metres (20 feet) long and only 2.2 metres (seven feet) wide, said Colonel Kraithong Chanthongbai, commander of the local police station in the Thai border province of Ranong where the bodies were found late Wednesday.

**blackgang** · 10-04-2008, 03:56 PM

were the people legal migrants or were they illegal aliens coming into Thailand to work illegally?

**buad hai** · 10-04-2008, 03:59 PM

^Illegal migrants. Post says they supposedly paid 5K baht each to be smuggled in.

**Pansodan** · 10-04-2008, 04:01 PM

and the survivors- "were arrested"

**Pansodan** · 10-04-2008, 04:06 PM

Blackgang- find your post a bit cynical- why do you stress their legal status so much?

**Mid** · 10-04-2008, 04:30 PM

Matichon newspaper

.................................................. .................

Thailand volunteer rescue workers collect the bodies of dead Myanmar migrant workers Thursday, April 10, 2008, from the back of a seafood van in Ranong, Thailand. Fifty-four migrant workers from Myanmar, most of them women, suffocated in the back of an unventilated seafood truck in southern Thailand while being smuggled to the popular resort island of Phuket, police said Thursday.
Associated Press

**Thetyim** · 10-04-2008, 04:37 PM

Originally Posted by dirtydog

Police blamed the driver for failing to turn on the air conditioning in the back of the truck.

Sorry but that is not air conditioning.
It is either a chiller or a freezer.
It recirculates the air, so no fresh air is let in.

**Wallalai** · 10-04-2008, 04:52 PM

Originally Posted by blackgang

were the people legal migrants or were they illegal aliens coming into Thailand to work illegally?

What the matter, these people were treated worst than meat.

And you are as usual in idiot.

**Mid** · 10-04-2008, 04:55 PM

Death of 54 Myanmar illegal labourers prompts Thai crackdown
Thu, 10 Apr 2008

Bangkok - Thai police promised Thursday to round up a human-trafficking gang responsible for the death of 54 illegal Myanmar labourers who suffocated while being transported in a container truck to the resort island of Phuket.

A 10-wheel container truck, usually used for transporting frozen fish, was found by police early Thursday, abandoned on a small road near Suksamlan village, about 450 kilometres south of Bangkok, with 120 Myanmar nationals inside, 54 of whom were dead.

"We know which human-trafficking gang is behind this incident and we will round up their network," said Ranong Police Chief Major General Apirak Hongthong.

The dead included 37 women and 17 men. Another 21 were hospitalized, and the remaining 46 were arrested by police for entering Thailand illegally.

Survivors told police they were from Victoria Point Island in Myanmar, and had boarded the truck in Ranong to be taken to Phuket and other provinces to look for work.

About half an hour after leaving Ranong, the Myanmar nationals, who were packed in so tightly that they could only stand up, contacted the truck driver by hand phone and complained of the heat and lack of oxygen.

When several of them fainted the driver finally stopped the vehicle and opened the door to the container. When he saw that several of the Burmese had died, he fled the scene.

The owner of the truck, who turned himself in, is expected to face charges, as will the driver, Apirak said.

The Ranong police chief admitted that human trafficking was common in the province, which neighbours Myanmar to the west.

Thailand has a huge population of illegal Myanmar labourers who are commonly employed on fishing trawlers, plantations and construction sites.

Although Thai authorities provide work papers for some of the Myanmar labourers, the vast majority work in the country illegally, subject to arrest and vulnerable to abuse by their employers.

earthtimes.org

**The Gentleman Scamp** · 10-04-2008, 05:00 PM

The Burmese knocked to signal the driver about the problems, he stopped the vehicle, discovered the bodies and fled.

This smells a bit fishy, surely they would have alerted the driver by knocking before 54 people died.

Burmah must be really shit, worse than the Philippines - then again Ranong is not much better.

the Myanmar nationals, who were packed in so tightly that they could only stand up

Disgusting - this is because they paid 4K each and the driver wanted to make as much money as possible with complete disregard for human life.

He should be shot.

**Pansodan** · 10-04-2008, 05:01 PM

Originally Posted by Thetyim

Originally Posted by dirtydog

Police blamed the driver for failing to turn on the air conditioning in the back of the truck.

Sorry but that is not air conditioning.
It is either a chiller or a freezer.
It recirculates the air, so no fresh air is let in.

That is a very good point! Although it wasn't obvious when reading the news the first time- you are absolutely right. Even the biggest technical idiot would at least think about that point before getting people into that truck. That changes the case from "accident" to a "homicide"

**obsidian** · 10-04-2008, 08:15 PM

sad///

**Rdrokit** · 10-04-2008, 09:59 PM

Really sad. They came to Thailand hoping to make some money and maybe send some back home to their families and now they are all dead. Was just watching the news on the T.V. They said each one paid 10,000 baht and they showed a picture of the driver who they are still searching for.

**chitown** · 10-04-2008, 10:03 PM

"Drivers" in Thailand always leave the scene.........

**dirtydog** · 11-04-2008, 06:08 AM

RANONG TRAGEDY
Owner of ill-fated truck arrested

Police arrested the owner of the cold storage truck which was used to smuggle 121 Burmese, 54 of whom died from suffocation just two hours into their journey that started in Ranong province on late Wednesday.

Damrong Pussadee was arrested Thursday morning at his residence that doubled as a used-cars outlet in Ranong's Muang district.
Damrong admitted that the truck belonged to him and identified Suchon Boonpong as the driver of the ill-fated truck. Suchon fled when he saw the victims in the back of his truck.

It was not clear if Damrong admit to any wrong doing.

A senior police officer said that Damrong was just a middle man behind the human smuggling ring linked to the tragic incident late Wednesday.

He were allegedly paid Bt5,000 per each Burmese, which would mean that he would be receiving Bt500,000 per route.

The Nation

**Jet Gorgon** · 11-04-2008, 06:16 AM

Ya, Thet, thanks for pointing out the fridge factor.
These poor people. Trying to escape to make a living. Truly tragic.

**Whiteshiva** · 11-04-2008, 09:11 AM

Originally Posted by Mid

"We know which human-trafficking gang is behind this incident and we will round up their network," said Ranong Police Chief Major General Apirak Hongthong.

Sounds to me he knows quite a bit about human trafficking gangs - I wonder why he never took action before now.....

This being Thailand, and and especially considered the fact that the victims were 'just' Burmese, I am sure the people responsible for this tragedy will be fined several thousand baht, and told to behave in the future.

There are incidents like these, and the usual lack of effort from the authorities in bringing the perpetrators to justice (meaning real justice) that makes me wonder if Thailand really is where I want my kids to grow up.

**Mid** · 11-04-2008, 02:52 PM

Myanmar container survivors appear in Thai court
11-Apr-2008

The survivors of a horrific people-smuggling accident which left 54 dead were brought to a Thai court on charges of illegal entry Friday. .

Fifty Myanmar adults are facing possible jail terms while 14 children will also be deported after the deadly trip across the Thai border in an airtight seafood container. .

Fifty-four others died Thursday inside the container, measuring just six metres (20 feet) long by 2.2 metres wide, as they fled economic collapse in their home country in hope of finding work on the Thai resort island of Phuket. .

The deaths shocked Thailand and sparked calls from human rights groups for tougher action against the human trafficking networks that smuggle desperate people into the kingdom in search of jobs. .

But police in the southern province of Ranong, where the bodies were found, said they would prosecute 50 surviving adults. The 14 minors who were travelling with their families have been handed over to immigration authorities for repatriation. .

Two other survivors remain in hospital where they are being treated for dehydration and lack of oxygen. .

"We charged 50 of them with illegal entry. There are 14 others who are under 18 years of age. We have sent them directly to immigration for repatriation," Colonel Kraithong Chanthongbai, the local police commander told AFP. .

"I hope the court will hand down sentences later today," he said. .

The court could simply order their deportation, he said. But if the court fines the migrants and they are unable to pay, they could serve jail time, he added. .

Police have issued a warrant for the 38-year-old driver of the truck hauling the container, which he abandoned on a roadside after finding his passengers had died. .

The container carried 120 people trying to get from the border to Phuket. Police had earlier said 121 people were locked inside, but corrected their tally Friday. .

The owner of the truck company has surrendered himself to police, but denied any involvement in the trafficking scheme, Kraithong said. .

The Myanmar nationals had agreed to pay a Thai smuggling ring 5,000 baht (157 dollars) each for the journey from Ranong to Phuket. .

But before they reached their final destination, 37 women and 17 men had suffocated to death in the stifling box with a broken ventilation system. .

Survivors said they beat on the walls of the container to tell the driver that people were dying, but he told them to stop for fear of discovery by police. .

When the truck driver finally realised some of the migrants had died, he parked by the side of the road, opened the door to the storage box and fled, Kraithong said. .

The incident echoes a case in June 2000, when 58 Chinese immigrants were found suffocated to death in similar conditions in Dover, southeast England. .

About 540,000 migrant workers are registered to work in Thailand, most of them from Myanmar, labour ministry figures show, but as many as one million undocumented workers are believed to be in the kingdom. .

Myanmar is one of the world's poorest countries, its economy battered by decades of mismanagement under military rule and further hampered by Western sanctions imposed over the junta's human rights record. — AFP

todayonline.com

**Pansodan** · 11-04-2008, 03:17 PM

Slow on realizing this- but it is pretty much exactly 120 sq.feet transport space, the traffickers planned for 120 people. There is a high probability that this is the "usual space".

**Pansodan** · 11-04-2008, 03:21 PM

Myanmar container survivors appear in Thai court

The survivors of a horrific people-smuggling accident which left 54 dead were brought to a Thai court on charges of illegal entry Friday.
Fifty Myanmar adults are facing possible jail terms while 14 children will also be deported after the deadly trip across the Thai border in an airtight seafood container.
Fifty-four others died Thursday inside the container, measuring just six metres (20 feet) long by 2.2 metres wide, as they fled economic collapse in their home country in hope of finding work on the Thai resort island of Phuket.
The deaths shocked Thailand and sparked calls from human rights groups for tougher action against the human trafficking networks that smuggle desperate people into the kingdom in search of jobs.
But police in the southern province of Ranong, where the bodies were found, said they would prosecute 50 surviving adults. The 14 minors who were travelling with their families have been handed over to immigration authorities for repatriation.
Two other survivors remain in hospital where they are being treated for dehydration and lack of oxygen.
"We charged 50 of them with illegal entry. There are 14 others who are under 18 years of age. We have sent them directly to immigration for repatriation," Colonel Kraithong Chanthongbai, the local police commander told AFP.
"I hope the court will hand down sentences later today," he said.
The court could simply order their deportation, he said. But if the court fines the migrants and they are unable to pay, they could serve jail time, he added.
Police have issued a warrant for the 38-year-old driver of the truck hauling the container, which he abandoned on a roadside after finding his passengers had died.
The container carried 120 people trying to get from the border to Phuket. Police had earlier said 121 people were locked inside, but corrected their tally Friday.
The owner of the truck company has surrendered himself to police, but denied any involvement in the trafficking scheme, Kraithong said.
The Myanmar nationals had agreed to pay a Thai smuggling ring 5,000 baht (157 dollars) each for the journey from Ranong to Phuket.
But before they reached their final destination, 37 women and 17 men had suffocated to death in the stifling box with a broken ventilation system.
Survivors said they beat on the walls of the container to tell the driver that people were dying, but he told them to stop for fear of discovery by police.
When the truck driver finally realised some of the migrants had died, he parked by the side of the road, opened the door to the storage box and fled, Kraithong said.
The incident echoes a case in June 2000, when 58 Chinese immigrants were found suffocated to death in similar conditions in Dover, southeast England.
About 540,000 migrant workers are registered to work in Thailand, most of them from Myanmar, labour ministry figures show, but as many as one million undocumented workers are believed to be in the kingdom.
Myanmar is one of the world's poorest countries, its economy battered by decades of mismanagement under military rule and further hampered by Western sanctions imposed over the junta's human rights record.

yeah, right! Prosecuting the survivors deserves first priority

**Pansodan** · 11-04-2008, 05:54 PM

Thailand: Authorities must treat truck victims with dignity and according to law WORLD NEWS MyNews.in:

Thailand: Authorities must treat truck victims with dignity and according to law

**dirtydog** · 11-04-2008, 08:23 PM

Myanmar migrants who survived deadly truck ordeal to be expelled from Thailand

By SUMETH PANPETCH,
Associated Press Writer.

More than 50 migrants from Myanmar who survived inside a sweltering truck in which 54 others suffocated while being trafficked to Thailand were found guilty Friday of illegal entry and will be jailed for two months and then deported, Thai officials said.
Fourteen other survivors under the age of 18 were sent home without trial, they said.
Human traffickers were transporting the 121 migrants inside the locked truck to the Thai resort town of Phuket on Wednesday night, but abandoned the vehicle _ normally used for refrigerated seafood _ when the cooler failed. Only 67 survived, including two who remained hospitalized Friday.
The truck's owner was detained, but the driver and the trip's organizers were being sought.
Prosperous Thailand is a magnet for people from impoverished neighboring Cambodia, Laos and especially Myanmar, also known as Burma, who take menial and dangerous jobs shunned by Thais. More than 1 million migrants from Myanmar are believed to be working in Thailand, often facing gross exploitation.
"Following voluntary migration to Thailand, men, women, and children, primarily from Burma, are trafficked into involuntary servitude in agricultural work, factories, construction, commercial fisheries, domestic work, and begging," the U.S. State Department said in its 2007 Trafficking in Persons Report.
One of the still-hospitalized survivors said he came with his 19-year-old wife, whom he had married just four days earlier, from Tavoy town in Myanmar's Mon state.
Ko Ko Lah said they paid about 12,000 baht (US$380; €240) each to a human trafficking gang to arrange the trip and met the other migrants at Myanmar's Victoria Point, just across a bay from Thailand.
They were taken at night by fishing boat to a quiet pier in Ranong town, where they were crammed into the truck's sweltering container area, about 2.2 meters (7 feet) wide and 6 meters (20 feet) long.
"The container was very jammed and dark, my wife and I were trapped in the middle. After about 30 minutes we found that we did not have enough air to breathe and everyone begged for help," he said.
"It was horrible, I heard people screaming, shouting and banging on the walls until I passed out," he said. "I regained consciousness and found that I was lying on the ground, confused. I crawled to the roadside and found some water there to drink."
Ko Ko Lah said he and his wife had hoped to find work on a rubber plantation in Thailand's Phuket or Phang Nga provinces, where three relatives had earlier found jobs.
"I do not know the fate of my wife, but pray that she is still alive," he said.
Others in the group were believed to be seeking jobs in Phuket's booming tourism sector.
The survivors, with the exception of the two still hospitalized, were taken Friday to Ranong provincial court where they were found guilty of illegal entry, said Col. Kraithong Chanthongbai, police chief for Ranong's Suksamran district.
Fourteen in the group under the age of 18 were sent back to Myanmar without trial. The others, unable to pay a 2,000 baht (US$63; €40) fine, will be jailed for two months before being expelled, he said.
He added the truck's owner, who denied any knowledge of the smuggling, was being held on a charge of conspiring to traffic the migrants.
The International Labor Organization, meanwhile, called on the Thai government to overhaul its system for employing foreign workers.
"While some may characterize this as a tragic accident, or even criminal negligence on the part of the driver of the vehicle in which the people died, it is clear that this occurrence is an indication _ indeed a consequence _ of a much larger problem," the U.N. agency said in a statement.
It said the demand by Thai employers for migrant workers _ documented or undocumented _ "is continuing and may even be accelerating. However, the formal systems of recruitment are not working."

©2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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