By Kyaw Zwa Moe

December 16, 2003—Thai police raided a monastery today in the border town of Mae Sot, where about 260 Burmese migrant workers were planning to sue their Thai employer for insufficient pay. Witnesses in town said the police would deport all of them back to Burma in a few days.

This afternoon dozens of police officers surrounded a monastery where the workers, including about 200 women, were camping after they had decided not to continue work at Nasawat Apparel garment factory and to file charges against the factory, said Ye Htut who witnessed the incident.

Ye Htut, a member of the Mae Sot-based Yaung Chi Oo, a Burmese workers’ association, said the police first arrested Dr Khin Sein, a Burmese physician who was helping the workers at the monastery. They then tried to arrest 25 of the leading workers, but other workers prevented police from doing so. He added that later the police beat and arrested all the workers.

It is unclear how many workers were injured in the clash, but Ye Htut said that all workers were being detained at the Immigration Detention Center in Mae Sot, and would be deported to Burma soon. In accordance with Burmese law, workers deported to Burma can face up to seven years in prison for leaving Burma illegally.

All workers at the Nasawat factory walked out after the employer fired 25 workers last week. The workers had led a demonstration in November to demand fair wages and fair treatment, said Moe Swe, leader of the Yaung Chi Oo Association. He said the employers initially agreed to the workers’ demands and also pledged not to fire the leaders. However, the 25 workers were dismissed on Thursday.

Moe Swe said that police confronted the workers while they were planning to file charges with the aid of his association and other NGOs working with migrant workers. He added that the workers were paid half the minimum wage of 133 baht (US $3.20) a day.

Mae Sot lies opposite the Burmese border town of Myawaddy and has over 80,000 Burmese migrants working in garment factories, agriculture, construction and in private homes as domestic workers.