Thailand, Burma sign pact against human trafficking

[Hugo]

Thailand, Burma sign pact against human trafficking

By: AFP

Published: 24/04/2009 at 05:50 PM

Thailand and Burma signed an agreement on Friday to combat human trafficking, especially of women and children -- the first such pact between two countries, the official statement said.

The agreement is aimed at improving cooperation along their 2,108 kilometre border.

Tens of thousands of migrant workers from impoverished Burma are working in Thailand, both legally and illegally.

Burma's Home Affairs Minister Maj-Gen Maung Oo and Thai Social Development and Human Security Minister Issara Somchai signed the pact in Burma's administrative capital, Naypyidaw.

The official statement said the pact was "an important step and provided a strong foundation for future joint efforts between the two countries in tackling cross-border trafficking''.

The deal covers areas such as prevention, protection, recovery and reintegration of victims, law enforcement and criminal justice, "as well as developing and implementing joint actions between the two countries", it said.

"We two countries tried to sign this (agreement) two years ago,'' a senior Burma police official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

"It's a big achievement for us to cooperate with neighbouring countries. We can discuss more effectively in the future,'' the official said.

Burma has been ruled by the military since 1962 and is under sanctions by the United States and European countries because of its human rights records and continued detention of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/141536/thailand-burma-sign-pact-against-human-trafficking

Why do I find it hard to believe... :roll:

[Bruce551]

The police in North Thailand make good money on illegal Burmese working for Thai companies. If a Burmese worker gets caught by the police, the Thai employer pays 5,000 Baht to the police and the Burmese worker is released. If a Burmese is a stopped for driving without a license the fine is a 1,000 Baht, for farangs and Khun Thai the fine is 400 Baht.

Hard to imagine the Thai police giving up such lucrative business

[juddie]

Don't worry Bruce the fine upstanding boys in brown won't lose any of their tea money. This pact is total bullshit and only designed to make both countries look like they are trying to do something about it to the rest of the world, but we all know neither of them could give a ****. If all illegal burmese migrant workers currently in Thailand were to suddenly go home the Thai manufacturung and parts of the service industry would collapse over night. Take Mae Sot for example?recently 100sof factories making everything from shoes to frozen foods have relocated to there. The reason being that the fat Thai owners don?t have to pay minimum wage to illegal workers, they pay 50b a day and then charge them for food and lodging. The whole family lives there so the children don?t go to school and if they do leave the police are waiting outside to arrest them and take all their money.

The only way to stop illegal trafficking between Burma and Thailand is to firstly get rid of the corrupt, violent and repressive Burmese junta and develop the country for the people not the generals.

Thailand wont do **** all about it as they rely on Burma for energy and cheap labour, 25% of all electricity in Thailand comes from Burma and that is set to increase soon with the opening if a new dam in Shan state, which will power Chiangmai, and leave hundreds of thousands of ethic Shan, Karenni and Karen with flooded farm land and that which isn?t flooded is already mined!