Ranong human-smuggling incident

Last updated
Ranong human-smuggling incident
DateApril 8, 2008 (2008-04-08)
Location Ranong, Thailand
Cause Human smuggling
First reporter Royal Thai Police
Deaths54

The Ranong human-smuggling incident was a human smuggling disaster in Ranong, Thailand in April 2008. [1] 54 people suffocated to death in a seafood container while being smuggled from Myanmar, to Phuket, Thailand. [2]

Contents

Incident

On the night of 9 April 2008, 121 Burmese workers were transported illegally by fishing boat from Song Island in Myanmar to a landing near Ranong, Thailand. All were illegal migrant workers seeking transport to Phuket, where they planned to seek jobs as day laborers. Each had paid smugglers 6,000 baht (US$190) [3] or 10,000 baht (US$316) [4] for the journey. All 121 people were herded into an airtight seafood refrigeration unit on the back of a truck. It measured 6 metres by 2.2 metres (20 feet by 7 feet), meaning standing room only for the passengers.

Thirty minutes into the journey, conditions in the container became stifling. The workers banged on the sides of the container to alert the driver, but he failed to stop and warned everyone to remain quiet so as to avoid alerting the Thai Police as they passed through checkpoints.[ citation needed ] He turned on the air conditioning, but it failed after a few minutes.[ citation needed ] When the driver finally stopped on a quiet road running along the Andaman Sea 90 minutes later many, mostly women, had already collapsed.[ citation needed ] After seeing the bodies, the driver fled.[ citation needed ]

The dead were 36 women, an 8-year-old girl, and 17 men. [3] [5] [6]

Aftermath

Relatives of those killed received 35,000 baht compensation for each relative who died, Suwanna Suwanjutha, director-general of the Rights and Liberties Protection Department, announced in July 2008. On 28 December 2012 four Thais found guilty of human smuggling were sentenced to between three and ten years imprisonment for their involvement. The four were convicted of gross negligence resulting in death and of breaking immigration laws.

The truck owner, Damrong "Run" Phussadee, of Rungruengsup Ltd, was sentenced to 10 years for his involvement. Jirawat "Ko-Chun" Sopapanwaraku, who owned Choke Jaroen Pier where the migrants arrived by boat, was jailed for six years. Chalhermchai "Joe" Waritjanpleng was sentenced to nine years in prison. Ms Panchalee "Pueng" Chusung's six-year sentence was halved after she confessed. "Three of them were granted bail of between US$13,000 [about 400,000 baht] and US$6,500 [about 200,000 baht] while they file appeals", the official said, adding that the fourth defendant was held in custody after failing to meet bail terms. The truck driver, Suchon Bunplong, fled the scene, but was later arrested and then confessed to his involvement. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2008, but his confession to trafficking illegal immigrants saw that jail term being halved to six years, Maj Gen Apirak Hongthong, Phuket Police Commander at the time, told the Phuket Gazette in June 2008.

See also

Related Research Articles

Chumphon province Province of Thailand

Chumphon is a southern Province (changwat) of Thailand on the Gulf of Thailand. Neighbouring provinces are Prachuap Khiri Khan, Surat Thani, and Ranong. To the west it borders the Burmese province of Tanintharyi.

Ranong province Province of Thailand

Ranong is one of Thailand's southern provinces (changwat), on the west coast along the Andaman Sea. It has the fewest inhabitants of all Thai provinces. provinces neighboring Ranong are (clockwise) Chumphon, Surat Thani, and Phang Nga. To the west, it borders Kawthaung, Tanintharyi, Myanmar.

Stowaway One who transports oneself surrepticiously

A stowaway or clandestine traveller is a person who secretly boards a vehicle, such as a ship, an aircraft, a train, cargo truck or bus.

Ranong Town in Ranong Province, Thailand

Ranong is a town in southern Thailand, former capital of the Ranong Province and the Mueang Ranong District. The town covers completely the area of the tambon Khao Niwet (เขานิเวศน์). As of 2005, it had a population of 16,163. Ranong lies 586 kilometres (364 mi) south-southwest of Bangkok by road.

Mae Sot district District in Tak, Thailand

Mae Sot is a district in western Thailand that shares a border with Myanmar to the west. It is notable as a trade hub and for its substantial population of Burmese migrants and refugees. The town is part of Tak province and is the main gateway between Thailand and Myanmar. As a result, it has gained notoriety for its trade in gems and teak, as well as black market services such as people trafficking and drugs. Neighbouring districts are : Mae Ramat, Mueang Tak, and Phop Phra. The Moei River serves as a natural border between Mae Sot and the Burmese town of Myawaddy.

Beer in Thailand

Brewing beer in Thailand began in 1933 with the granting of a brewing license to 57-year-old Phraya Bhirom Bhakdi, born Boon Rawd Sreshthaputra. His company, Boon Rawd Brewery, produces Thailand's oldest and best-known lager, Singha. Singha is sold in Thailand in standard, light, and draught versions.

According to the United States Department of State, "Thailand is a source, destination, and transit country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labour and sex trafficking." Thailand's relative prosperity attracts migrants from neighboring countries who flee conditions of poverty and, in the case of Burma, military repression. Significant illegal migration to Thailand presents traffickers with opportunities to coerce or defraud undocumented migrants into involuntary servitude or sexual exploitation.

Illegal entry

Illegal entry is the act of foreign nationals arriving in or crossing the borders into a country in violation of its immigration law. Human smuggling is the practice of aiding people in crossing international borders for financial gain, often in large groups. Human smuggling is associated with human trafficking. A human smuggler will facilitate illegal entry into a country for a fee, but on arrival at their destination, the smuggled person is usually free. Trafficking involves physical force, fraud, or deception to obtain and transport people, usually for enslavement or forced prostitution.

Mae Sot City Municipality in Tak, Thailand

Mae Sot is a city in western Thailand that shares a border with Myanmar to the west. It is notable as a trade hub and for its substantial population of Burmese migrants and refugees. The city is part of Tak Province, 87 km from the city of Tak and 492 km from Bangkok. It is home to the district headquarters of Mae Sot District, and is the main gateway between Thailand and Burma. As a result, it has gained notoriety for its trade in gems and teak, as well as black market services such as people trafficking and drugs.

Myanmar is a source country for men, women, and children who are subjected to human trafficking, specifically forced labor, and for women and children, forced prostitution in other countries. Children of Myanmar are subjected to forced labor as sellers and beggars in Thailand. Many men, women, and children from Thailand, Malaysia, China, Bangladesh, India, and South Korea who migrate abroad for work are trafficked into conditions of forced or bonded labor or commercial sexual exploitation. Economic conditions within Myanmar have led to the increased legal and illegal migration of citizens regionally and internationally, often to destinations as far from Myanmar as the Middle East.

Crime in Thailand Overview of crime in Thailand

Crime in Thailand has been a defining issue in the country for decades, inspiring years of policy and international criticism. Drug use and corruption make up the majority of the crime in Thailand and due to this, many Thai administrations attempted to curtail the drug trade, most notably Thaksin Shinawatra with the 2003 War on Drugs. Since 2003 crime has been decreasing with the crime rate decreasing from 9.97 to 2.58. Despite this, Juvenile delinquency has been increasing in recent years.

The year 2008 was the 227th year of the Rattanakosin Kingdom of Thailand. It was the 63rd year in the reign of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, and is reckoned as year 2551 in the Buddhist Era. Much of the year was spent under the 2008 Thai political crisis, which saw political protests leading to the dissolution of the ruling People's Power Party by the Constitutional Court.

Dover lorry deaths Illegal immigration incident resulting in the deaths of 58 people

On 18 June 2000, just before midnight, 58 dead bodies were found in a lorry in the port town of Dover, United Kingdom. Two people were found alive but injured and taken to hospital.

Burmese in Thailand

Burmese in Thailand constitute Thailand's largest migrant population. According to the 2014 Burma Census, 1,418,472 former Burmese residents, including 812,798 men and 605,674 women, were living in Thailand, constituting about 70% of Burma's overseas population. Burmese in Thailand tend to fall into three categories: professional migrants working in the business or professional sectors, laborers working in low-skilled professions, and refugees fleeing conflict.

Essex lorry deaths Death of 39 Vietnamese in a lorry in 2019 in the UK

On 23 October 2019, the bodies of 39 Vietnamese people — 31 men and 8 women — were found in the trailer of an articulated refrigerator lorry in Grays, Essex, United Kingdom. The trailer had been shipped from the port of Zeebrugge, Belgium, to Purfleet, Essex, UK, and the lorry cab and its driver are believed to have originated from Northern Ireland. Investigations are being led by Essex Police, and involve the national authorities of the UK, Belgium, Ireland and Vietnam.

On 27 August 2015, the bodies of 71 illegal immigrants were discovered in a lorry on the Ost Autobahn in Burgenland, Austria. The victims were part of the wave of many thousands of migrants who traveled through the western Balkans in an effort to reach Germany. The borders were opened shortly afterward to allow the influx across.

Manas Kongpan was a Thai convicted human trafficker and military commander. From 2008 to 2015, he led the Thai army's policies towards Rohingya refugees, before being arrested on multiple charges, including ordering refugees to be marooned at sea without any means of survival and extorting ransoms from families of refugees. In 2017, he was convicted of the charges, and served the rest of this life in prison.

Chiapas truck crash 2021 traffic accident in southern Mexico

On December 9, 2021, a traffic accident occurred in the Mexican state of Chiapas when a freight truck smuggling over 180 migrants overturned and hit a bridge. At least 55 people were killed, and over a hundred were injured.

References

  1. "54 Burmese dead in trafficking horror". Phuket Gazette . 10 April 2008. Retrieved 29 Sep 2018.
  2. MacKinnon, Ian (2008-04-11). "54 Burmese migrants suffocate in packed lorry". The Guardian. Retrieved 2015-01-17.
  3. 1 2 Chutima Sidasathian; Alan Morison (10 Apr 2008). "Horror of Human Trade: 54 Die in Phuket Bound Container". Phuket Wan. Retrieved 3 Aug 2012.
  4. Mydans, Seth (2008-04-11). "Migrants Perish in Truck to Thailand". New York Times. Retrieved 2015-01-17.
  5. "Lured Into Bondage: A growing back channel of global trade tricks millions into forced labor". The Daily Beast . 12 Apr 2008. Retrieved 3 Aug 2012.
  6. Simonelli, Issac Stone (2012-12-29). "Phuket human traffickers jailed for deaths of 54 illegal Burmese". Phuket Gazette. Retrieved 2018-09-29.