Thai fishermen left floating in Somali Sea
A group of Thai Fishermen from Buriram province made a video call to fishermen friends in Phuket Province. The fishermen are asking for help from the Thai government after they were lured into human trafficking. The men claim that their boss brought them to work in the Somali Sea off the east coast of Somalia. They haven’t been paid for 4 months and are currently left floating in the waters. Their lives are in critical risks as food and water are running out.
Teerawat Wittikhun the Governer of Buriram ordered Malaiorn Hiranyaratch from the Ministry of Labour in Buriram Province and other officials to work with the local police on the issue. Officials visited the families of the fishermen and discovered that the fishermen were lured to go work abroad. Instead of fair labor, the men haven’t been paid for over 4 months. There are 17 Thai citizens separated into 2 boats floating in the waters of Somali Sea. 7 of the men are from Buriram, while others are from Surin, Chaiyaphum, and Phetchabun Provinces.
The officer’s video called the human trafficking victims and discovered they were invited to go work abroad by an agent name “Boss Chang”. The agent invited them to work in the Persian Golf. The agent paid them 10,000 THB right before they left Thailand and have since never paid them again.
They are currently floating in the sea and cannot reach the coast as the boss is the only person that can bring them onto the land. They have no money for any food, the problem is the men haven’t been able to contact “boss” for a long time now. They hope that the Thai officials can help them return home before they meet their end by starvation on the boat.
The Ministry of Labour in Buriram and the Department of Consular Affairs from The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, are working on the matter to help the fishermen return home safely.
FB Caption: There are 17 Thai fishermen separated into 2 boats floating in the waters of Somali Sea. Water and Food are almost gone while the “Boss” is nowhere to be found.
Source: Workpoint News
Comments
