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India Times-
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Myanmar workers stream back to Thailand=20
MAE SOT, Thailand: Myanmar immigrants deported from northern Thailand =
are streaming back, despite continuing raids by Thai authorities on =
factories harbouring illegal laborers.=20
Police Lt. Gen. Sorapol Payoongveeranoi, deputy of immigration police in =
the Thai border town of Mae Sot, said some 22,000 Myanmar workers had =
been repatriated at that checkpoint since a crackdown began in early =
November, but that thousands had come back.=20
"At the present, we allow Myanmar nationals to stay in Thailand for only =
one day. However, thousands of them illegally stay overnight," he said. =
Around 4,000 Myanmar workers who have crossed back into Thailand are now =
employed again in factories and farms around Mae Sot, said a prominent =
local businessman, who did not want to be named.=20
In the past, factories and farms in the district employed over 50,000 =
Myanmar workers. Before the crackdown, up to one million illegal =
immigrants stayed in Thailand, which wants to cap the number of workers =
from its poor neighbors Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia at only 106,000 for =
the next two years.=20
Efforts in November to send workers back to Myanmar were complicated by =
the closure of the long Thai-Myanmar border by Yangon's generals after =
pro-democrat rebels raided the Myanmar embassy in Bangkok.=20
Myanmar, also known as Burma, was reluctant to take the workers back and =
both countries faced criticism from human rights groups for their =
treatment of the migrants.=20
Now restrictions have eased. Residents in Mae Sot, which lies 370 km =
(230 miles) northwest of Bangkok, said about 200 migrants cross the =
frontier from Myanmar every day.=20
Many carry clothes and belongings, indicating they plan to stay for a =
while. Some have border passes and arrive by foot over the Thai-Myanmar =
Friendship Bridge. Others bribe border Thai and Myanmar authorities and =
sneak over the frontier at other points illegally.=20
"The economic situation is very bad in Burma," said one migrant, Tin =
Hla, a father of five. "There's no chance to earn money to feed my =
family, so I come to Thailand." (Associated Press)=20
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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><FONT size=3D4><B>Myanmar workers =
stream back to=20
Thailand </B></FONT>
<P>MAE SOT, Thailand: Myanmar immigrants deported from northern Thailand =
are=20
streaming back, despite continuing raids by Thai authorities on =
factories=20
harbouring illegal laborers.=20
<P>Police Lt. Gen. Sorapol Payoongveeranoi, deputy of immigration police =
in the=20
Thai border town of Mae Sot, said some 22,000 Myanmar workers had been=20
repatriated at that checkpoint since a crackdown began in early =
November, but=20
that thousands had come back.=20
<P>"At the present, we allow Myanmar nationals to stay in Thailand for =
only one=20
day. However, thousands of them illegally stay overnight," he said. =
Around 4,000=20
Myanmar workers who have crossed back into Thailand are now employed =
again in=20
factories and farms around Mae Sot, said a prominent local businessman, =
who did=20
not want to be named.=20
<P>In the past, factories and farms in the district employed over 50,000 =
Myanmar=20
workers. Before the crackdown, up to one million illegal immigrants =
stayed in=20
Thailand, which wants to cap the number of workers from its poor =
neighbors=20
Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia at only 106,000 for the next two years.=20
<P>Efforts in November to send workers back to Myanmar were complicated =
by the=20
closure of the long Thai-Myanmar border by Yangon's generals after =
pro-democrat=20
rebels raided the Myanmar embassy in Bangkok.=20
<P>Myanmar, also known as Burma, was reluctant to take the workers back =
and both=20
countries faced criticism from human rights groups for their treatment =
of the=20
migrants.=20
<P>Now restrictions have eased. Residents in Mae Sot, which lies 370 km =
(230=20
miles) northwest of Bangkok, said about 200 migrants cross the frontier =
from=20
Myanmar every day.=20
<P>Many carry clothes and belongings, indicating they plan to stay for a =
while.=20
Some have border passes and arrive by foot over the Thai-Myanmar =
Friendship=20
Bridge. Others bribe border Thai and Myanmar authorities and sneak over =
the=20
frontier at other points illegally.=20
<P>"The economic situation is very bad in Burma," said one migrant, Tin =
Hla, a=20
father of five. "There's no chance to earn money to feed my family, so I =
come to=20
Thailand." <I>(Associated Press) </I></P></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>
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