Thailand hands over 73 human trafficking victims to Myanmar

BANGKOK : A batch of 73 Myanmar nationals who were victims of human trafficking in Thailand returned home on Monday.
The 73 Myanmar nationals, who had been illegally employed before being rescued by authorities in Thailand earlier this year, were welcomed home during a handover ceremony held in Myanmar’s border township of Myawaddy across Moei River from the Thai border district of Mae Sot.
Thailand’s acting Immigration Bureau commissioner Pol. Maj. Gen. Surachate Hakparn provided a sum of 146,000 baht (about 4,424 U.S. dollars) in humanitarian aid to the Myanmar victims during the ceremony.
Pol. Maj. Gen. Surachate said the authorities will continue to combat human trafficking and will only accept legally-employed migrant workers under memorandums of understanding between Thailand and Myanmar.
An estimated 2 million Myanmar migrant workers are currently hired at various workplaces in Thailand, many of whom having been registered and legalized in sustained efforts to protect themselves from human traffickers.
Most are employed in the fishery sector, including crewmembers aboard seagoing trawlers and workers at seafood processing factories in Bangkok’s southwestern suburbs.