NEWS - Junta's Selfishness Destroys

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Subject: NEWS - Junta's Selfishness Destroys Thai Buinesses and Economy

Junta's Selfishness Destroys Thai Buinesses and Economy

(Thai plants silent after Myanmar exodus)

By Sutin Wannabovorn

  
MAE SOT, Thailand, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Thousands of tonnes of rotting
fruit and flowers and deserted factory lines are testimony to an exodus
of illegal Myanmar workers targeted in a massive Thai repatriation
drive. 

Struggling with high unemployment amid its worst economic crisis in
decades, Thailand has revived a plan to repatriate 600,000 Myanmar
migrants working illegally in low-paid factory and farm jobs. 

Around 70,000, the majority women, had jobs in the border town of Mae
Sot, opposite eastern Myanmar's Karen State. 

Tens of thousands have now crossed the Moei River to Myanmar. Their
departure has left factories, nearby farms and streets of a town where
the Myanmar language was as commonly heard as Thai all but deserted. 

Businesses that invested ten of billions of baht to exploit a plentiful
supply of desperate and cheap labour complain they now face ruin. 

About 100 garment and food canning factories and 504,000 hectares (1.26
million acres) of fruit orchards were totally reliant on the illegal
labour, which was welcomed in boom years before Thailand's economic
crisis broke in 1997. 

``If this situation goes on another month, all the investors will be
bankrupt,'' said Paniti Tungphati, chairman of the Tak provincial
chamber of commerce. ``In the agricultural sector alone investors have
been losing more than 15 million baht ($385,000) a day.'' 

REGIONAL INVESTORS STAND TO LOSE 

Investors who stand to lose include Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singaporean
concerns. Paniti said many businesses in Tak province had wanted to
establish production bases inside Myanmar. 

But with much of their output exported to the United States or the
European Union, they were scared off by U.S. sanctions against Yangon
and the possibility of consumer boycotts, given strong criticism of
Myanmar's human rights record and failure to democratise. 

Paniti said Myanmar's powerful intelligence chief, Lieutenant-General
Khin Nyunt, had pledged full co-operation if businesses relocated to
Myanmar. ``But we plan to wait a little longer due to the sanctions,''
he said. 

Pramote Rajitungsun, production manager of Great Oriental Food
Production Co Ltd, said the workers' departure was a catastrophe. ``We
have to find replacements and resume operations as soon as possible
otherwise we will face bankruptcy,'' he said. 

During a visit to his deserted pineapple canning plant, he told Reuters
production had stopped since his 300 workers left. The plant used to
process about 150 tonnes of pineapples a day. 

Local government officials and citizens argue that thousands of jobless
Thais could replace the Myanmar workers if businesses were willing to
pay realistic salaries. 

``They are just greedy for profit,'' said Sopis Wongmontha, a trader who
led a rally of local people backing a government plan to send back the
illegal workers. 

``THAIS COULD DO THE WORK'' 

``If companies paid Thai workers in accordance with the minimum wage,
thousands of workers could replace the illegal workers within two
weeks,'' he said. 

His comments echoed those of Interior Minister Sanan Kachornprasart, who
has dismissed employers' demands to stop the repatriation. 

Thailand's minimum wage is 120 to 160 baht ($3 to $4) a day. 

Departing Myanmar workers said they were willing to accept less than
half this as there was no work for them in their own country, which has
been suffering economic stagnation. 

``As a supervisor, I received 60 baht a day; newcomers got about 50 baht
for 10 hours work,'' said 22-year-old Hty Da, a female Myanmar worker
who led a protest demanding withheld wages. 

She said her firm had refused to pay the workers their previous month's
wages to try to stop them leaving. 

Soraphol Payoongveeranoi, the deputy immigration chief in Mae Sot, said
this was a common ploy. ``Some employers either refuse to pay wages or
confiscate their ID cards in order keep them.'' 

He said some employers had even tried to fool workers into believing
repatriation was temporary and they would be able to return in a few
days to claim their wages. 

But thousands have not been taken in, have cut their losses and rushed
back to Myanmar, fearing prosecution in Thailand. 

Many are out of pocket having had to pay 2,000 baht ($50) to bribe their
way out of Myanmar in the first place. 

THAI-MYANMAR TIES STRAINED 

Thailand sent back about 300,000 Myanmar workers late last year and the
revival of the programme comes amid a period of strained diplomatic
relations. 

Myanmar was angered when Thailand allowed dissidents who took over the
Myanmar embassy in Bangkok from October 1-2 to escape to a safe border
area when they freed their 89 hostages unharmed. 

It has kept its border with Thailand closed to trade since the attack
and suspended fishing rights for Thai trawlers, causing tens of millions
of dollars of losses. 

Paniti said the loss of the workers would worsen Thailand's economic
slowdown. 

``The government misunderstands the labour situation. They do not accept
the reality that Thai people do not take this kind of work,'' he said. 

``Investors are being hurt by the departure of the workers and the
losses they are suffering will mean there will be more problems with
loan repayment to banks. We're talking about tens of millions of dollars
in this province alone.'' 
 ($1 - 39 baht) 

20:33 11-15-99