Hundreds return to home-BURMA AND THAILAND BORDER

No.18-02/2009
18 February 2009

By Hseng Khio Fah


The 7 February Mae Joe student’s rape and murder has led to a mass departure of Shan migrant workers from different locations of Chiangmai province to their hometowns and villages.

Since then, many Shan migrant workers have been under difficulties to stay in Thailand due to fear of the continuing arrest, abuses by the host community physically or verbally and being jobless, according to workers.

From 9 February, hundreds of Shan migrant workers are returning to their homeland. Some of them were deported by the police.

Most are people from Langkhurh, Mawkmai, Mong Nai, Laikha, Mongkeung, Mongpan and Namzang, southern Shan State.

And now, at least 40 to 50 people are reported to be arriving in the border town, Nawng-ook (Arunothai), Chiangdao district, Chiangmai province, 100 km northwest of the provincial seat every day, according to border sources.

Those returning are mostly from Sankamphaeng, Hangdong and Mae Joe districts.

On the other hand, they need to pay large amount of money to pass the border gate BP1, opposite Nawng-ook.

Most of them fled across the border through the jungle, while others crossed with border guides. Those who contacted guides to lead to their native homes have to pay 3,600 Baht for a single person, said a taxi driver from Nawng-ook.




Many express worry about their jobs when they return to Burma. However, some are planning to plant poppy fields or join the resistance, said the driver.

“We have no choice. We just have to plant opium to live, if not we will be jobless,” the driver quoted a passenger saying.

Other reasons cited for their decision to return include the upturn of the exchange rates. They used to get Kyat 35 to the baht before, but now it is Kyat 27 to the baht. “It places us in difficulty,” one worker who is planning to return said, “because these days jobs are scarce, with or without the Mae Joe incident.”

There are estimated about 80,000 migrants in Chiangmai or one-sixth of the total population here, according to Migrant Assistance Program (MAP) foundation.

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