Eighteen Burmese migrants forced to work as slaves on a Thai fishing boat were rescued by the Thai police’s Anti-Human Trafficking Division on 22 July. Two teenagers were among the trafficking victims. Some of them came to Thailand looking for jobs in Bangkok and Mahachai… and they only realised they were being sold when they got on the boat. There are about six young Karen males who had been working there for about eight months without getting a penny for their
"The traffickers asked us to bring 400,000 Kyat to get us passports. I only had 300,000 with me and gave them that but no passport was provided,” said Maung Maung. “Then I found myself in this seaside town – I was told to work here without pay to cover the 18,000 Baht. In June 11 Burmese trafficking victims were rescued from similar circumstances in Chonburi province.