By LAWI WENG - After the Buddhist Water Festival, in the last week and a half, thousands of Burmese workers have migrated to Thailand through the Three Pagodas Pass (TPP) Thai-Burma border route. While some workers have crossed over legally, the majority are illegal workers.
“As I remember, we [the transporters] have transported thousands of people since the end of the water festival,” said a car driver in TPP.
Burmese workers travel for one day by car from Thanbyuzayat to TPP Townships, and are charged 35,000 kyat per person.
“Sometimes, about 300 people arrive in one day, and sometimes only 100,” said Thu Rain, a resident in TPP.
According to a source, at least 15 cars have arrived in TPP every day and one car carries 15 to 20 people.
Despite the number of migrants traveling to TPP, the town is not overly crowded because most arrive in the evening and leave for Thailand the next morning.
For those migrants who do not possess a work passport, they have to pay 12,000 baht to travel to areas like Mahachai, and other migrant worker hubs in Thailand.
Many illegal workers enter Thailand through the jungle in order to bypass the Thai authorities and Thai army checkpoints. Others travel hidden under cars, with little space to breathe.
Nai Htoo, a Mon migrant worker, who entered Thailand illegally three days ago, said that he and other migrants workers had hide in a truck traveling from Mahachai to Chumphon.
He explained that the truck driver tied people’s hands and were forced to lay on the bottom of trucks, like animals.
“They put me on the bottom of the truck while there were many people on me. I could not breath very well. I thought I would die,” he said.
Many Burmese migrants return home for the water festival, the Buddhist new year, in order to visit their parents and relatives and celebrate together
There are around 2 millions Burmese workers in Thailand, and the majority of the migrants live in Thailand illegally.
