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BKK POST: February 2, 1998: Economi
- Subject: BKK POST: February 2, 1998: Economi
- From: suriya@xxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 02 Feb 1998 17:12:00
BKK POST: February 2, 1998: Economic slump forces alien workers to return to homelands
Journey home beset by corrupt officials
Onnucha Hutasingh and Anucha Charoenpho
Thailand's economic crisis has not only made about one million
Thais unemployed but also sent a horde of foreign labour back
home over the past six months. Until now, the Labour Ministry
cannot figure out the number of laid-off foreign workers, mostly
from the construction industry.
Many Burmese workers have to go home and most of them
choose to enter Burma through border checkpoints in Sangkhla
Buri district of Kanchanaburi for safety reason. But they must
face another problem - money extortion from Thai officials.
"On their way from Bangkok to here, they must pay money (to
officials at every checkpoint) and pay huge sums of money at
checkpoints in Sai Yok and Sangkhla Buri districts as the passes
are overseen by many agencies, a Mon villager in Sangkhla Buri
said.
Burmese workers who account for 75 percent of about one
million foreign workers in Thailand have been going home for the
past two months. The average number of Burmese labour facing
extortion reaches 60-70 per day and most of them have to give
tens of thousands baht or 304-608 grammes of their gold to Thai
officials.
However, many Burmese workers are aware of the extortion
and become more careful about their trips to Burma.
According to some Mon villagers at Ban Wang Ka, Burmese
workers turn to transfer their money via a bank in Sangkhla Buri
district and rent vehicles to deliver their belongings to Sangkhla
Buri while they take inter-provincial buses to border
checkpoints.
To ensure safety for their money, many workers turn to use
illegal money transaction services. Some job brokers demand
2,500-3,000 baht from each worker for sending his/her cash
from Bangkok to Burma via Sangkhla Buri but the money
owners must later take money in Burmese currency after arriving
in Burma.
According to a source, many more Burmese workers turn to go
home through a pass at Ban Nam Kerk, a Mon village located in
a remote valley, instead of the Ban Halocknee and Three
Pagoda checkpoints with many Thai and Burmese officials
working there to avoid money extortion.
"They usually deposit their belongings with some Mon villagers in
Sangkhla Buri before going to Ban Nam Kerk and renting
vehicles to take them and their belongings to Burma," the source
said.
"After entering Burma, they must pay taxes which mostly account
for 50 percent of their belongings' value. For example, they must
pay a 500-baht tax for a TV set worth 1,000 baht. But if officials
are in a bad mood, the rate will be doubled or the stuffs may be
seized," the source added.
Meanwhile, an immigration police officer from Kanchanaburi
accepted that officials from all concerned agencies in this western
province had actually extorted money and valuables of foreign
workers wanting to go home at every checkpoint.
Ko Lane, a Burmese who had worked as a construction worker
in Samut Sakhon for about one year, said he had some
30,000-baht cash at the start of his trip to Burma but he had less
than 5,000 baht left when arriving home due to extortion by
Burmese and Thai police.
© The Post Publishing Public Co., Ltd. All rights reserved 1998
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Last Modified: Mon, Feb 2, 1998