The Royal Thai police raided a garment factory in Sankhalaburi, Thailand and arrested 50 Burmese migrant workers on September 17.  Those arrested hold the Thai ethnic nationality identity card.
 
A worker told Kaowao that 56 workers, who did not have work permit cards although they had Thai ethnic nationality identity cards, were rounded up in the raid. The garment factory is located at 54/1, Moo 2 Nhonglu and over 200 Burmese workers, most of whom have work-permit cards, have been working in the factory.
 
This is the first time the police raided a factory and they came in plain clothes, said Naing Htun who has been working in the factory for 10 years.
 
"Policemen asked for permission to take photographs. There were about 20 policemen. They talked to the factory manager for an hour behind closed doors and checked the work-permit cards. Then we realized that they would arrest us. Over 60 workers were taken away to the police station in three Hilux vehicles," said Naing Htun.
 
Most of the arrested workers are women including a Thai factory manager. The employees give 310 Baht each as security money on a monthly basis. I don't understand the reason behind the raid. The boss has not issued work-permit cards yet, he said.
 
He felt the raid was related to money changing hands between the boss and the police.
 
According to a person who helps the workers, each of the 47 people who have the Thai ethnic nationality identity cards must give 3,500 Baht as fine. The nine others who don't have any documents have to give 1,200 Baht as fine and then they will be deported to Burma.
 
"If 3,500 Baht is cut from their monthly salary, they cannot continue to work in the factory because they earn an average of 100 Baht per day," said a factory worker who has a Thai ethnic nationality identity card.
 
"We pay 310 Baht monthly for our security. If they deduct the fine from our salary there will be nothing left. We have to work over a month for the fine," said the worker's leader, Naing Htun. An ordinary labourer earns 100 Baht per day. If a labourer works four hours extra time he can earn 140-150 Baht. A majority of labors are women.
 
Most labourers in the factory are from Winnka village (Mon side), Sankhalaburi and they work from 9 am to 9 pm. "The factory provides a bus in the morning but the workers have to go back on their own if they are not on overtime. Those on overtime work until 9 pm, said a woman who lives on the Mon side. Her sister, who has a five-year old child, was also arrested in the raid.