"My life there was total torture," he said.

A man severely beat him if he failed to sell all the flowers he was given each night.

He travelled to the city from Tak's Mae Sot district when he was nine years old to find work. "I had to walk around the city from 7pm until the early morning trying to sell flowers. I suffered taunts and verbal abuse," Isamai said.

During the day, Isamai and other children were locked up in a flat, where they were fed but received no payment. "After about five months, I couldn't bear it any longer and decided to sneak out," Isamai said.

He spent a month begging around the Victory Monument but the police caught him and he was sent to a rehabilitation home. He was given proper care at the Phumivej Home and was taught discipline.

"I was also allowed to testify in court against the man who forced me to work like a slave. Many other children were victimised like me," the teenager said.

After the court proceedings, Isamai was deported to Burma but he crossed illegally back to Mae Sot, where his mother was earning around Bt20 a day in a teashop.

He is now waiting to enrol in school.

Anan Paengnoy

The Nation

Tak