Nan province helps Mlabri people

[misskit]

BANGKOK, 19 June 2019 (NNT) - Government agencies have offered help to Mlabri people in Nan, at present being taken advantage of by capitalists, according to the royal intentions of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, the Princess Debaratanarajasuda.


The Royal Thai Army’s Royal Projects Coordination Office Director Lt Gen Attaporn Bosuwan has visited Mlabri community at Ban Tha Wa village, Moo 8, Sa Iap subdistrict, Song district, Phrae province, on the royal initiation of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, the Princess Debaratanarajasuda.


Mlabri people, who are living in various areas, will be gathered to live together at Ban Huai Lu village in Sanien subdistrict, Muang distrcit, Nan province, where they will receive assistance to help improve their living quality.


Lt Gen Attaporn said Mlabri people are currently being taken advantage of by capitalists who offered them loans, but then required them to work in order to pay off their debt. Households that took out a 60,000 baht loan would have to work for 10 years to pay off this amount at 6,000 baht a year. Mlabri people, who are know for their diligence and loyalty, are often tricked into becoming laborers under this scheme.


Mlabri people in Ban Tha Wa village are also facing other problems, such as 11 households that have had their national identification cards confiscated, and are using vehicles without license plates to prevent them from escaping. It has also been found that the capitalists have encouraged the use of chemical herbicides that cause environmental damage in the area.

National News Bureau Of Thailand

[Farang Ky Ay]

Modern slavery pushed to its extreme (ID and care plates confiscation sounds are abuses, if they did this there might be other wrongdoings - thinking some debt relief if the daughter would be kind to someone etc).

The generic term, capitalists, sound strange, foreign capitalists most probably, as everyone know that no Thai would take advantage of someone else, even hills tribes people...

[misskit]

From what I’ve been told, it is the Hmong who hold the Mlabri as indentured servants.

[Farang Ky Ay]

Thx for the extra piece of information, so that's how media's call Hmongs, capitalists? Strange wording...loan sharks who happens to be Hmong on this particular instance would be more accurate IMHO