19 Myanmar trafficking victims rescued in Thailand

Nineteen Myanmar human trafficking victims have been rescued in Thailand, state media and an activist group said yesterday, a rare policing success against criminal networks that dominate the region, reports AFP.
The group were discovered by Thai police locked up on an Indonesian-flagged fishing vessel off the coast of Thailand’s southern Pattani district on Sunday, the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar reported.
The raid was launched after the families of some of those on board managed to alert the Myanmar Association in Thailand, a local support group, about their plight.
Kyaw Thaung, director of the association, told AFP that the victims, some of whom were as young as 13, were lured with the promise of work in Bangkok but instead found themselves locked on the fishing vessel.
“A police force raided the fishing boat to Indonesia and found 19 Burmese workers there,” he said. “They had been there about 10 days already.”
A Burmese broker was arrested at the scene, he added. Thai police did not respond to requests for comment but a source at Myanmar’s human trafficking police division in Naypyidaw confirmed to
AFP that the raid rescued
19 citizens.

 

19 Myanmar trafficking victims rescued in Thailand

Nineteen Myanmar human trafficking victims have been rescued in Thailand, state media and an activist group said yesterday, a rare policing success against criminal networks that dominate the region, reports AFP. The group were discovered by Thai police locked up on an Indonesian-flagged fishing vessel off the coast of Thailands southern Pattani district on Sunday, the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar reported. The raid was launched after the families of some of those on board managed to alert the Myanmar Association in Thailand, a local support group, about their plight. Kyaw Thaung, director of the association, told AFP that the victims, some of whom were as young as 13, were lured with the promise of work in Bangkok but instead found themselves locked on the fishing vessel. A police force raided the fishing boat to Indonesia and found 19 Burmese workers there, he said. They had been there about 10 days already. A Burmese broker was arrested at the scene, he added. Thai police did not respond to requests for comment but a source at Myanmars human trafficking police division in Naypyidaw confirmed to AFP that the raid rescued 19 citizens.