MalaysiaBorder:SongkhlaTraffickPolice

[GWR]

What this article fails to point out - probably more from omission than PC thoughts - is that it is largely talking about Muslims from majority Muslim areas in the East of Songkhla Province that have little industrial or commercial development. [Actually, this problem is not entirely one of the Muslim community alone. A significant number of urban Songkhla Buddhists also work illegally in Malaysia. My evidence is that these Buddhist illegals largely work in places like Alor Setar, that have significant Malaysian Thai Buddhist populations.] To be honest, I hadn't realized that so many of Songkhla Province's Muslims were working in Malaysia; although most locals fully acknowledge that this has long been the case with Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat Provinces: -

The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) is to tackle the problem of Songkhla workers crossing the border to work illegally in Malaysia with about 50,000 people doing so last year.

An NLA sub-committee chaired by Waemahadee Waedaoh will seek assistance for the illegal workers.

Waemahadee visited Songkhla Saturday and told a meeting of district leaders at Chana Community Hall the issue of nationality had to be resolved.

Last year, 1,468 Thais crossed the border legally via Sadao and Padang Besar while at least 50,000 entered Malaysia illegally.

Most travel to Malaysia from Chana, Na Thawi, Thepha, Saba Yoi and Sadao to work in the fishing, restaurant, rubber and manufacturing industries.

Waemahadee said the sub-committee would study the situation that could involve as many as 200,000 workers. It will report to the government.

Some of the workers were born in Malaysia. The problem has existed for as long as 30 years and Waemahadee said it constituted a national-security concern.

Thai workers in Malaysia illegally had no access to health or welfare services and had to live in hiding, he said.

He said locals had approached him for help in establishing legal ways they could work across the boarder.

The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30027802

[thai2thai]

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30027802

Last year, 1,468 Thais crossed the border legally via Sadao and Padang Besar

Comment : More like these many Thais crossed the border every day via Sadao and Padang Besar

while at least 50,000 entered Malaysia illegally

Comment : 50,000 entered Malaysia illegally per year is feasible - If true,
Malaysian border immigration/police did a very poor job. How many Thai insurgents crossed the borders at the even more porous border checkpoints at Narathiwat and Yala

Most travel to Malaysia from , Na Thawi, Thepha, Saba Yoi and Sadao to work in the fishing, restaurant, rubber and manufacturing industries.

Comments : If true, why is it that every time when the Malaysian government sent the illegal Thais back from Malaysia, most are ladies of the night from all over Thailand.

Waemahadee said the sub-committee would study the situation that could involve as many as 200,000 workers. It will report to the government.

Comment: No doubt - help is needed and problems have to be solved. The main problem did not emanate from the people who seek work from Na Thawi, Thepha, Saba Yoi and Sadao. What we need in the South is JOBS, JOBS and more JOBS.

Further comments: The Bangkokians have the power center, the North and North Easterners have the populations to control the votes, the Southerners are so blinded by their devotions to the out of synch Prachathipat party that nobody really cares.

I believe wonderful things will happen should the South abandon 'the taking for granted' Prachathipat party and declare itself available to anyone who can help it the most.

[Wisarut]

Further comments: The Bangkokians have the power center, the North and North Easterners have the populations to control the votes, the Southerners are so blinded by their devotions to the out of synch Prachathipat party that nobody really cares.

I believe wonderful things will happen should the South abandon 'the taking for granted' Prachathipat party and declare itself available to anyone who can help it the most.

That's why thsoe from Bang Nara (Narathiwat) has voted for Chart Thai despite of Notoriety of Corruption and Collusion ...

[GWR]

Floating gas station busted

http://www.phuketgazette.com/newsimages/bull7152008-6637-1.jpg
[Photo: Phuket Gazette - The converted fishing boat was found to be carrying about 3,000 liters of illegal diesel on board.]

AO MAKHAM: Phuket Customs officers on July 10 arrested two men found on board a Thai-registered boat carrying 3,000 liters of illegal diesel off the coast of Satun.

Customs officers apprehended the vessel at sea 17 nautical miles north of Koh Adang in Satun province at 5:30 pm on July 10, Somchai Poolsawasdi, director of the Royal Thai Customs Investigation and Suppression Bureau, told a press conference on July 11.

He explained that undercover Customs agents had heard that the fishing boat Tor Sittichai Namchoke 5 had been converted into a floating gas station out at sea and had been modified with diesel tanks and a pump.

The offshore gas station received fuel from Malaysian fishing boats and sold it on to Thai fishing boats, K. Somchai said.

In 2002, Thailand starting coloring its marine diesel green in an effort to deter fuel smugglers. However, the fuel found on board Tor Sittichai Namchoke 5 was yellow, police said.

“The three tanks in the vessel could hold around 12,000 liters, but most of it had already been sold. About 3,000 liters was found in their tanks” K. Somchai said.

“They bought the fuel from a neighboring country, probably for less than 20 baht a liter, then used rubber pipes to move the fuel from boat to boat at sea” he said, adding that the gas, boat and pump had a combined value of about 682,000 baht.

Prasert Kaew la-ead, captain of the Tor Sittichai Namchoke 5, and his crewman were taken to Phuket City Police for further questioning. At the time of going to press, the Gazette had yet to confirm that the men have been charged.

Phuket, Thailand
17:29 local time (GMT +7)
http://www.phuketgazette.com/news/index.asp?id=6638

[GWR]

TRAFFICKING
Seminar: Police under fire over human trafficking
By Chularat Saengpassa
The Nation, Hat Yai
Published on August 18, 2008

South locals at a recent seminar on child prostitution and human trafficking point their fingers at police inefficiency and corruption.

Student leaders in Hat Yai and Sadao, Songkhla, said they knew where brothels and karaoke bars offering prostitution were. How is it the police are unaware of this? they ask.

The head of a youth and student council in Hat Yai said "Why don't the police arrest traffickers?

"They keep targeting teenagers like us at road checkpoints with trivial charges - like our motorcycles have loose chains."

Both districts are used by traffickers to "rest" girls and women before they are smuggled into Malaysia. The girls provide sex service to locals and foreigners during their brief stays.

The women and girls - who are either forced into or willing to enter the sex business - are from Burma, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and China. Chinese women - or those who speak Chinese or English - are popular among Malaysian or Singaporean clients.

Willing local women are smuggled into Malaysia or Singapore through these channels.

They may end up being taken to Europe where the traffickers can get more money for them.

Between 2004 and 2008, 532 cases of trafficking were reported to Malaysian authorities. Almost 490 involved girls from this country.

Both police in Songkhla and immigration police rarely launch investigations or arrest traffickers.

Police occasionally receive complaints from trafficked women who escape from brothels.

And, in almost every case, the first thing these women get is not help, but charged with illegal entry.

A woman official said she always had to be careful about "which police officers" she approached for help. "We are never certain about police officers we deal with. Are they on the traffickers' side. But we have no choice. We need the police to make arrests."

The woman said the police here elect to charge trafficked women with illegal entry before deporting them.

A Yunnan woman escaped from traffickers, but police charged her with illegal entry. They barely interviewed her about the traffickers, explaining they had no Chinese interpreter.

A woman's foundation eventually came to her aid, providing shelter and translators.

There were never any arrests because she was unable to provide enough details about the traffickers and their operation. She had been kept at more than 10 different locations.

Anant Dissara, chief of the provincial human-development and human-security office, said more and more women were voluntarily entering the sex business.

They hoped to find a foreign tourist who would keep them as a mistress.

Entertainment venues, where sex is secretly provided, such as karaoke bars or massage parlours, are mushrooming in both districts.

He said male sex workers were in increasingly high demand in Malaysia.

Sopha Kaewsanit, an activist, said she believed there was no way Songkhla police were unaware of these operations. She said van after van packed with young, good-looking girls were being allowed to enter Malaysia through border checkpoints on a daily basis without being questioned.

"The police should have been suspicious, and detained them for questioning. But no such thing has been done. They know about everything going on, but take no action," she added.

Songkhla police officer Lt Colonel Thanawat Phoojinda said tip offs usually came too late for action. The traffickers are swift.

The new anti-human trafficking law authorises police to conduct raids or searches or make arrests without getting a court warrant.


But, Thanawat said police needed warrants as an assurance that officers would not face counter allegations of wrongful arrest if no evidence or women turned up.

Sadao immigration officer Lt Colonel Phiphat Phongphan said police could do nothing without warrants because they would be sued.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/08/18/national/national_30080782.php