500 Burmese migrant workers who were attempting to enter Thailand have been forced to return to Burma, after food supplies ran low while waiting to cross at Three Pagoda Pass during the water festival.  About 1500 remain at the border.

In late April the number of Thai border guards was increased in Three Pagodas Pass after Thai authorities learned that thousands of Burmese migrants had arrived to cross the border, according to a broker. The result is that large volumes of migrant laborers are stuck at the border, or have become entrapped by guards during their crossing and are running out of food.

“I have to feed them a pack of rice (970 Baht) every day. This is only for the rice. I also I have to buy vegetables and some meat for curry. So I have spent over 1000 Baht each day. I can not feed them for many days and so am being forced to sent them back,” said a broker.

For some workers who were able to pass the Thai border check-point, the next check-point was impassible do to security, and so had to hide in the jungle.  The broker explains, “We were able to pass the police check point.  It walked in the forest for 20 minutes, but we did it. However we could not pass an army check point. Because there were more soldiers we avoided them by hiding. As a result we were in the forest for many days and ran out of supplies. We finally had to phone to the soldiers to arrest us” the broker told to IMNA.

Daily migrant workers arrested by Thai police and are returned to the Burmese side of the border at Three Pagodas Pass. On May 4, 2009 about 500 migrant workers have been sent to Three Pagodas  Pass, said a source from Three Pagodas town. The majority of migrant workers are from Mon State, according to an NMSP officer who is serving in that region.

While arrests and deportations have been regular, earlier in the year on April 24, Thai soldiers killed a broker from Sankhalburi as he attempted to bring four migrant workers into Thailand.