The following account is taken from a diary written from Khao Lak in Thailand by Htoo Chit of the UUSC program partner Grassroots Human Rights Education and Development Committee of Burma. Khao Lak, a long stretch of narrow coastline on the eastern side of southern Thailand, is the tourist spot hardest hit by the tsunami. Khao Lak Natural Park was wiped out by gigantic waves that surged up to three miles inland from the shore. Htoo Chit, who sent his report to UUSC in late January, is coordinating the Tsunami Action Group in southern Thailand.

The situation in the aftermath of the tsunami is bleak for everyone, but particularly so for Burmese migrants living in the affected areas. Life in Thailand for Burmese migrant workers was dangerous and difficult before the tsunami and it has now been made much worse for those in the tsunami affected areas.

About 60,000 migrant workers from Burma have been affected by the tsunami. Having left their homeland because of desperate poverty and the repression by the military dictatorship, many found jobs as fishing-boat crew or restaurant workers, but the largest number were low-paid manual laborer building new luxury beachfront hotels.

More than 10,000 Burmese migrant workers are working in the tourist industry in the Khao Lak sub-district of Takuapa district in Phang Nga Province. They work as construction workers, domestic workers and vendors at souvenir shops. More than 120,000 Burmese migrant workers are employed in the six southern provinces, working on fishing boats, rubber plantations and construction sites mainly for the tourist industry.

Burmese migrant workers are regarded as “less favored victims.” They receive very little care. They are ignored, neglected and marginalized. Foreign tourists and Thais who survived the monster waves have been provided shelter, basic facilities and financial assistance. Thousands of Burmese workers are still hiding in the jungle, rubber plantations and on islands in fear of arrest and deportation.

Two thousand Burmese workers deported
Local Thai authorities are deporting Burmese workers because officials believe they took part in looting the devastated areas after the tsunami (widely disputed in some Thai press). Immigration police sent back 2,000 Burmese workers in the first three weeks following the tsunami, while about 600 Burmese were detained in local police stations and immigration centers in the six provinces. Fearing arrest and expulsion, many Burmese fled and are hiding in the jungles, rubber plantations and islands or have moved to other provinces. Thai rubber plantation employers are not allowing Burmese victims to stay long because, they are also afraid of some Thai authorities. Other migrants have fled to other provinces simply to find new jobs.

Thousands of Burmese migrant workers who survived the deadly catastrophe are facing grief and uncertainty. To make matters worse, they are receiving little, if any, relief. The Burmese migrants have been unable to break their contracts, while many others who wanted to stay on and search for missing relatives have been deported. Many cannot even claim the bodies of their dead relatives because they fear arrest and/or deportation. Many legally registered Burmese workers lost their identification cards and work registration papers in the tsunami. They have no way to verify their identity because they have no identification.

Tsunami survivors are victims of abuse
On Jan. 16, our team was on the way to Ko Kho Khao Island when we met two Tavoyan girls crying near the road. We stopped our car and asked them what happened. They told us that they are tsunami victims and are now living with their employer. Their employer tried to rape one of the girls. Fortunately they escaped from the employer. They did not know where to go on the island so we took them to some of their relatives and provided them with some food and supplies.

Click here to read other stories from Burmese tsunami survivors in Thailand.

The list of dead Burmese tsunami victims in Thailand changes continuously because we are constantly collecting information. As of this writing, it is estimated that 3,000 Burmese migrant workers were killed in the six southern provinces and from 5,000-7,000 are missing.

What the Tsunami Action Group is doing
We are searching for Burmese migrants in the tsunami affected areas in order to provide for their needs. Their needs are different, but there are some commonalties. Particularly, we are providing the resources for Buddhist ceremonies for those who have died and emergency food and nutritional supplements. We have already arranged eight Buddhist ceremonies and we are providing food and water to 1,000 tsunami victims. We started providing fresh foods last week because the victims were just receiving canned sardines and dried noodles from other aid organizations. Some people have not had fresh food since Dec. 26. 

We are working closely with Thai NGOs such as Migrant Assistance Program (MAP) and Thai Action Committee for Democracy in Burma (TACDB). They are working on legal issues such as lobbying the government and local authorities to ensure protection of migrant workers rights in Thailand.

What about the future?
The situation in tsunami-affected areas can only be described as disastrous. Not only does the death count continue to rise, but also the survivors' lives must be rebuilt from a tremendous setback. Most pressing needs are water, food, shelter and health services. Additionally, ceremonies for the dead, lost registration and identification documents and finding out the fate of lost loved ones (after the massive identification process) are also issues that need to be addressed as soon as possible. Medium- and long-term needs are also great. Mental health services, employment and a host of other issues will need to be addressed.