Friday, October 31, 2008

Abject working conditions for Cambodian men tricked to slave on Thai fishing boat without pay


Sattahip Naval Team Rescue Cambodian Men From Island Following 8 Month Ordeal At Sea

October 30, 2008

Story : Nattaphumin
Pattaya Daily News (Thailand)


On 29th October 2008, Navy Deputy Commander In Chief Worajak Jannoo received reports that the owner of a fishing boat had spotted 5 men living on “Rohng Neung" Island, close to "Rohngkon" Island, located a fair distance from the Sattahip harbour. The men had waved to the fisherman but after realizing they were Cambodian he refused to help because he thought it would be unlawful to do so.

After receiving the report a naval rescue team in a rubber dinghy rushed to the island. They found 5 men, aged between 19 and 25, all Cambodian, in a serious physical condition. They had been starving for 4 days on the island.

They told police that they came from a village near Poipet on the Cambodia border. A Cambodian friend who had lived in Thailand for a long time told them he operated some kind of agency and had found a job for them. They decided to pay their friend 3000 baht each for taking them to Samutprakarn to work.

They traveled by train to Hualumpong railway station in Bangkok and then by taxi to Paknam, Samutprakarn, where they believed they would work at the Paknam Harbuor for 4000 baht a month salary.

However the friend had also taken 5000 baht commission for each person from a fishing boat owner. They were duly transferred onto the boat as soon as they arrived at Paknam and ended up working in the middle of the deep sea.

They had been working for 8 months without any salary and without one visit onshore or a single day off. Every now and then boats brought them food and took fish back to shore during which time their boat would have to travel to about 10 miles from Sattahip harbour.

Mr. Tah (25), one of the men said, "Eight months was too long to suffer, it was just like being in a prison. We were physically and mentally hurt and never had a chance to ask for some money to send to our families. We were not allowed to visit our folks. It was as if we were already dead so we decided to run for our lives"

He said, on the night of 25th October, while people were busy loading fish, they jumped into the sea and swam to an island they could see a long distance away. They had some drinking water in plastic bags with them. Two of the men, Mr. Tee and Mr. Aeun , who could not swim well, slowed everyone down but they finally managed to reach the island four hours later.

They spent 4 days and 4 nights on the island, catching fish and crab and drinking some rain water from the rock swamp until they saw the fisherman’s boat and waved for help. They were happy to be safe and would soon be heading back home to be with their families.

28 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm telling you, our people are treated like dogs. The fishermen didnt even dare help. Why must Khmers be nice to their enemies and for once be nice to each other? It confuses why it is so easy for Khmers to kill Khmers, but not the other way around. Goddamn it reading this story angers me.

Anonymous said...

Bastard siams go to hell!

Anonymous said...

You above because Ah kwack still all the resourses and gave to Viet for his job to make khmer become slavery!

Anonymous said...

read the history, its not just because Ah kwack! its been happening for thousands of years, even before Angkor!

Anonymous said...

It seems that these poor men are being maltreated by the Siamese. The Siamese are too barbarous and pitiless, not different from the yuons at all

Anonymous said...

human beings are the cruellest animals.....even to there own kind...

Anonymous said...

Is this globalism that our Prime Minister Hun Sen is talking about? Is this the so called ASEAN unity prey on the poor weak Cambodian workers?

For the Saim to be successful they will have to enslave the Cambodian!

Anonymous said...

But, Thai Navy are good, aren't they? They saved Khmer lives, at least. They should also find justice for those Khmers i.e. get salaries for their families, and bring a Khmer scammer to jail. A Khmer scammer was the start of the story.

Anonymous said...

The story ends without a report if those 5 guys have actually returned and reunited with their families. If they have, then thanks to the Thai navy. They should file a lawsuite with Thai authority for the abuse and all the loss wages against the particular boat company.

It is true, in any nation, any society, Thai or Khmer, there are always good and bad people. There are bad Khmers and bad Thais who would kill their own people to rob of their belongings or to rape and murder, etc.

Some months ago there was also a story that a Vietnamese fishing boat had helped some Khmers from a Thai fishing boat and they had returned home safely. It's a long story.

Thanks to all the good people anywhere on this planet. God bless.

Anonymous said...

One day it will be their turn to suffer.

Nothing last forever on this earth.

Anonymous said...

Are they really Khmer from Cambodia or Khmer from Surin?

Anonymous said...

Base on the history, Khmer alway killing their own people for power and girls. Sometime they happy to invite Siem and Youn to kill their own people instead.

Anonymous said...

9:12 AM

I don't know how many siem and yuon we've killed to build the Khmer Empire?

Do you know?

Anonymous said...

Poor Khmer guys! The Cambodian Government should take all intervention or provide pre education to the migrant workers. Or the government should reduce their corruption and open free market for clean business, and open job for their man. I'm one Thai, but i am a human being, I knew and learnt about history and human right.
I knew Cambodia rolling by one man who insltaled by VN

Anonymous said...

9:27 AM

You're such an educated man, it very rare to see a Thai with such a knowledge.

You call yourself human, when we capture the Thai soldiers we didn't mistreated them fuckers.

Next time there will be no more prisoners. Don't be too haughty ah siem.

Anonymous said...

I guess this is the Thai reply for the clash.

This race is always hypocrite and coward.

Why don't you gather your courage and come to the border and lets see if you're still courageous and bold.

Anonymous said...

9:27 AM

Go tell Anupong to bring the real Thai troops to the border, or I guess you Thai are only strong against the Khmer migrant worker.

You want to shoot us come to the border, we let you shoot first, and we'll finish you right after.

Anonymous said...

Yea that's what I thought that the Thai will cause trouble to Khmer migrant workers. These people are just a bunch of coward.

Anonymous said...

CPP regime is destroying Cambodia, but Khmer still vote for them!!! Who to blame but ourselves. I wish that we, Khmer, should be less passive and more patriotic like the Muslims.

Anonymous said...

I don't think ah CPP ever win an election, they commit fraud to win.

Anonymous said...

not only that 9:53 AM - out of the current estimated 14 millions Khmer, how many of them are Viet? Who do we think the Viet would vote for?

Anonymous said...

You are bad guy saying to my government like that. Think you Ah siem people. We have to know about siem people they never kidnes to khmer people for long time ago.Why those khmer people tried to do anything on their land?
I hate siem in my whole life during i was in refugees camp in sime country.They killed lots of khmer people in the refugees camp.They rapped lots of khmer girls too.

Anonymous said...

To 10:05AM

I bear the same emotional scar just like you! The Siem are a no do good mother fucker and for every Khmer get kill by the Siem and I want to see 10 Siem death!

Anonymous said...

ok. please be fair. not everybody is bad. However, as Khmer we should advice those peoples not to go into Thailand again. Since it is not good to go. We have land why not we do our own agriculture and why do we need to go to Thailand. To all Khmer, please do not enter Thailand again no matter it is. It is not safe for you to be in Thailand.

Anonymous said...

I would behave same to the siam if i have chance.

Anonymous said...

I am 100% khmer and had the chance to visit thailand several times. Thai are nice people. It is only they are misguided by their fucking king and leaders who brainwashed the brain of their people to keep the power as Hun Sen, installed by VN, is doing with cambodian people. Period.
IN deed, most thai look down on Cambodian because they know that Phnom Penh is full of vietnamese. When i eat noodle soup in our capital city and hear people in RCAF or Police uniform speaking vietnamese, i can not blame the thai also...

Anonymous said...

3:54 am. What's happened thousands years a go and before Angkor? is it slavery you're implied to? Could you elaborate on that?

I'm interested to read the history you were talking about. Could you provide some links?

Anonymous said...

I don't belive khmer in 2008 have to pay for the sin of the Khmer Empire caused to build the Angkor and other palaces.

It is the ignorant of thais and their racial discrimination toward Khmer people that make the majority of the thais to mistreat khmer and abused khmer with any chance they have.

One day soon this corrupted and chaotic nation of thailand will collapse and cambodian will have a chance to kick some thais'butts.