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Published on April 12, 2008

Horrific indeed, and yet not at all unexpected. The dynamic that exists between Burma and Thailand, in fact, makes the occurrence of such events almost inevitable.

Contrast the conditions in Burma - child malnutrition rates well over 40 per cent in some provinces, inflation rates hovering around 30 per cent and an average per-capita income of less than US$200 (Bt6,320) per annum - with Thailand's average per-capita income of $3,737 and it becomes obvious to the point of banality that a powerful impetus exists for people to flow from Burma to essentially anywhere else, but most obviously to Thailand.

In cases such as this, blame lies with Thailand on several counts. First, the greed and cowardice evidenced by a number of Thailand's rulers supports and strengthens the control of Burma's military regime. Thailand is the third biggest investor in Burma, and it is perfectly obvious why Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej does not want to trouble the regime with such "messy details" as human-rights abuses.

What is an intolerable affront is the ludicrous irony in his praise of the military leaders as "good Buddhists who meditate" and whose killings of citizens are "normal".

Second, Thailand exploits and economically benefits immensely from Burmese migrant labour. By preventing real legal recognition of migrant workers and denying them even basic rights, there are a number of people in Thailand who stand to profit handsomely. As long as no genuine measures are taken to recognise, regulate and provide minimal security to Burmese migrant workers, the horrors of Wednesday's events will continue. And the blood will continue to be, at least to some degree, on Thailand's hands.

Susan

Bangkok

Junta misrule, repression force Burmese to flee

Re: "Deaths of Burmese brings shame on us", Editorial, April 11.

While The Nation's editorial pointed out correctly that in order to regulate the chaotic and often inhumane situation surrounding the unregulated labour market in Thailand the powers that be should let the law of supply and demand determine how many foreign workers are permitted to enter the country, Thailand is not solely to blame for the recent tragedy involving the deaths of 54 Burmese people.

The question that has to be asked here is why these people have to enter Thailand illegally to undertake various jobs that are underpaid by Thai standards.

In the first place, most of Burma's woes are mainly man-made disasters, which stem from decades of socio-economic mismanagement. The crux of the problem, however, has been the military's tyrannical rule, its entrenched group-survival mentality leading to a monopolisation of state power, and its policy of "total elimination" toward all non-Burmese ethnic groups and the country's democratic opposition as a whole.

According to an estimate made by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, internally displaced people (IDPs) in Burma fall under the following groups:

l An estimated three million people have been forced to migrate within and outside of Burma due to conflict, persecution, human-rights violations and repressive government measures.

l A million people are estimated to have become internally displaced in Burma over the past decade.

l The estimated number of IDPs in eastern Burma in 2007 is at least 503,000; the number could, however, be more than a million.

Refugee International estimated that there are 236,500 stateless individuals and an estimated 200,000 refugees scattered throughout the region. According to human-rights groups, there are about 1,350 political prisoners in Burma.

The facts mentioned above are the direct result of the military junta's implementation of its "four-cuts strategy" in ethnic areas - cutting off food, funds, intelligence and recruits to the ethnic resistance armies. The campaign has used systematic rape, executions, forced labour, forced relocation and the destruction of villages, crops and food supplies as weapons to devastate and demoralise targeted groups.

In short, the deaths of 54 Burmese could have been avoided if only the junta would have refrained from implementing such inhumane strategies on its own people and opted for reconciliation, the restoration of democracy and genuine federalism.

Sai Wansai

Bangkok