Two migrant workers have been released after working for 25 months without pay on a fishing boat operated by a Thai company. The two men were rescued by migrant labor rights organizations in Songkhla, Thailand, as they waited for repairs to be made to their ship.
On March 4th the two workers were sent to a karaoke shop in Songkhla with 4 other Thai crewmembers. Though they had not been paid in 25 months, the Burmese workers made no attempt to escape because they did not speak Thai and had no idea where to go. Both workers are from upper Burma, and had made their way to find work in Thailand via a broker after they struggled to find agricultural jobs at home.
One of the Thai crewmembers, however, notified a migrant labor rights non-governmental organization (NGO) in the area, which notified the Thai navy. The NGO source requested that details of the organization be withheld for security reasons.
According to a source in the NGO, later that day representatives of two migrant labor rights NGOs and Thai Navy arrived and detained the fishermen.
One of the workers, who spoke with IMNA via phone, described 25 months of mistreatment, and no pay. “During the time we were working on the fishing boat for 25 months, if the workers did not catch fish they could not eat,” said the worker, age 19. “If you did not do a good job for your work, you would be beaten with a plastic shovel until blood would come out from your skin. And they never paid us anything.”
Though neither worker posses a work permit or immigration papers of any kind, they were both released by the Thai navy. According to a source at the NGO involved in securing their release, they have since found paid construction work.
The Thai fishermen were also left without pay, and though 3 have returned to sea on other boats the NGO source said that they are suing the fishing company for their back pay.
IMNA could not confirm, however, whether there were any repercussions for the owner of the ship or its captain. The ship, known as the Pohn Pai San #44, is owned by the chairman of a major area fisheries business organization.
