Thursday, April 17, 2008

Southern Invasion

They are illegally crossing the border to enter the country looking for work. They sometimes pay their life savings to a smuggler, who often expose them to severe and harsh conditions, just for the chance to take a job like maids, drivers and agricultural workers.

I'm not talking about Mexicans flooding across the southern U.S. border. No, I'm talking about immigrants from Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia crossing the Thai borders in search of opportunity. Its kind of strange that while I see such poverty here, to people in some of these other countries, Thailand a land of opportunity.

There was a tragic story recently about fifty-four illegal Myanmar who died in their attempt to find a better life here in Thailand. These fifty-four immigrants were part of a group of one hundred and twenty-one people jammed into a cold storage truck. The container was seven feet wide, seven feet tall, and twenty feet long. The people were packed in the truck with no air conditioning in ninety plus degree heat. At some point the driver became aware of the problem and after opening the storage door, abandoned the truck. When the police arrived, they found the fifty-four victims already dead.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

You said the driver took off, if he is caught will he be subject crimal charges? I guess I am more curious if there are any penalties for illegally bringing people into the country

Brian V. (aka Spurlock) said...

The driver was apprehended a few days ago. I think he actually may have turned himself in. They are looking to charge him.

Some immigrant advocates claim that the Thai government always immediately deports the illegals, leaving the smugglers unscathed and able to continue to smuggle people.