Common funeral for seven Burmese workers killed in Thailand

DVB ( Feb 23-24 )

A funeral service for seven Burmese ‘illegal’ workers who died in a recent car accident was held at a Burmese Buddhist monastery in Sankhlaburi, western Thailand on 22 February.

The funeral was attended by the relatives of the dead from Burma who were given special travel permits by the authorities from both sides of the border.

The seven died when a truck carrying them to the Three Pagodas Pass border checkpoint for deportation overturned after the driver lost control of the vehicle on a sharp bend on 19 February in Kanchanaburi province, western Thailand.

Grief-stricken relatives of the dead told DVB that the tragedy happened because of the lack of justice and human rights in Burma, and the lack of clear and fair human rights policies in Thailand.

The surviving victims and the relatives of the dead have no hope of receiving compensations from the authorities concerned and they are likely to face criminal charges, tortures and imprisonments in Burma for leaving the country illegally.

Thai authorities also arrested and deported those who were working in Thailand legally with work permit and political asylum seekers who were under the protection UNHCR.

A similar accident occurred before at the same spot and 8 Burmese migrant workers were killed.