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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HEADLINE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Age - Australian set for Burma to see jailed
son
Bkk Post - LABOUR - Smuggling of illegals is on
the rise again
The Nation - Export
outlook bright for Nestle
Feer - Japanese Persuasion
Technique
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BURMA RELATED NEWS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Age
Australian set for Burma to see jailed son LONDON - Monday 21 August 2000
An Australian woman will go to Burma to see her son in jail, after his
appeal to be freed was lost.
Diana Mawdsley said she was shocked on Saturday to learn her 27-year-old
son, James, a human rights activist, had lost his second appeal against a
17-year jail sentence.
James, who holds British and Australian passports, was arrested, for the
third time, in Tachileck, a city on the Thai-Burma border, on August 31, 1999,
for possessing anti-government leaflets. He was given his lengthy sentence the
following day.
Mrs Mawdsley, formerly of Sydney but now living in Newcastle, England, said
she was unsure what could be done to free her son now, after the Mandalay High
Court upheld an original decision to deny his appeal by the Tachileck District
Court. But she said she had been granted a visa to visit the country and would
leave on September 4.
She said she would also consider making another approach to the Australian
Government to join British authorities in lobbying Rangoon on her son's behalf,
saying she had been disappointed with Canberra's responses so far.
"To be told he had lost his appeal has come as a shock," Mrs Mawdsley said.
"The case against James could not possibly stand up in any decently ordered
society."
Bangkok Post - Aug 21, 2000.
LABOUR - Smuggling of illegals is on the rise again Strong demand for cheap hands Preecha Srisatharn The smuggling of illegal immigrants, particularly Burmese, is on the
increase due to strong demand for cheap labour in the industrial sector.
Two years after the government's ban on employment of alien labour,
official crackdowns have lessened, allowing many labour smugglers to make a
comeback.
One of Thailand's ideal gateways for human smuggling is Kanchanaburi, a
border province which is near Bangkok and adjacent to Burma, and has up to 34
open border crossings.
An intelligence official attached to the PM's Office, who requested
anonymity, said police negligence has allowed labour smuggling gangs to
increase.
The number of human smuggling gangs operating in Kanchanaburi has risen to
20 from five, 14 of which are local and the others from other provinces, the
source added.
According to the source, these gangs do not stand in the way of one another
since their leaders know each other and some of the new gangs are "branches" of
certain old gangs.
Three of the old gangs are led by some police officers from Sangkhla Buri
and Thong Pha Phum districts.
A report by a government intelligence unit says that some major labour
smuggling gangs chose to form "subsidiaries" in order to avert police
attention.
It was reported that police clampdowns on alien labour smuggling in
Kanchanaburi have failed or missed their targets, with only foreign workers and
not gang members being arrested.
None of the vehicles used in smuggling labourers has ever been seized by
police and some officers at checkpoints here are unusually rich and often buy
brand new cars or motorcycles.
According to a source, labour smuggling gangs know well which of at least
100 border crossings in Kanchanaburi are free of police and military monitoring,
making them ideal gateways for human smuggling.
Now, more sophisticated methods have been applied by these gangs to
increase the number of trips to take aliens to destinations and avoid arrest no
matter whether during the day or at night.
In the past, only 10-wheel and six-wheel trucks were used in smuggling
aliens, which was carried out only at night.
Each truck carried between 40 and 80 persons per trip depending on its
size.
Alien workers normally paid 4,000-5,000 baht each per trip.
However, the labour smuggling business has recently grown to the point
where smuggling can be done during the day and there are various kinds of
services for customers to choose for specific purposes.
For the gangs, alien workers are classified into two major groups: Those
wanting to take easy jobs such as becoming waiters/waitresses or housemaids, and
those wanting to work as labourers.
For the first group, air-conditioned vans from Bangkok are chartered to
take 10 persons per trip from border areas to their destinations.
This kind of alien worker poses as a Thai tourist and pays the gang 10,000
baht each per trip.
It is estimated that each gang can arrange 2-4 trips a day and earn 36,000
baht per trip after paying 12,000 baht for renting a van, and 20,000 baht to
officers at four checkpoints in Kanchanaburi, one in Ratchaburi and one in
Nakhon Pathom, and giving 20,000 baht to the boss.
For labourers, smuggling is done at night only, using six-wheel trucks with
a capacity of carrying about 50 passengers per trip.
Trucks used in human smuggling are modified to have two levels.
Alien workers will be seated on the lower level and farm produce will be
placed on the upper level to prevent police detection.
No children are allowed to use this kind of service as it requires
tolerance since passengers must withstand great heat while hiding in the
trucks.
Such trips normally begin in Thong Pha Phum district, Sangkhla Buri
district, or a fruit orchard owned by an influential figure in Sai Yok
district.
Before a trip begins, foreign workers are picked up from the border in
Sangkhla Buri and ferried to one of the three meeting points by pick-up
trucks.
Then it may take a few days for a gang to gather enough customers who will
be charged 4,500 baht each.
To ensure a smooth smuggling route, some gang members in a pick-up will
lead a truck carrying alien labour to negotiate with officers at police
checkpoints for the green light and signal the truck driver to speed away in
case of trouble.
It is estimated that each gang can arrange such a trip every four days and
will earn 75,000 baht baht per trip after paying 20,000 baht for renting a
truck, between 7,500-10,000 baht for renting three pick-up trucks and about
5,000 baht as other costs, and giving 50,000 baht to the gang boss.
According to the source, at least two truckloads of alien labourers will be
sent to Bangkok and at least another two to fish piers in Tambon Mahachai of
Samut Sakhon.
Recently, labour smuggling gangs have introduced a new kind of service by
arranging trips to take Burmese workers to the border so they can go home to
visit their families during long holidays.
However, those wanting to use the service must form a group of 20 members
and pay a gang 4,500 baht each to travel to the border on a chartered six-wheel
truck along with electrical appliances and gifts for their families.
It is estimated that a labour smuggling gang will earn 45,000 baht per
trip, after paying 15,000 baht for a hired truck and around 10,000 baht for
officers at two checkpoints in Kanchanaburi, and giving the gang boss 20,000
baht.
There is also a service for those wanting to go home to visit their
families for short periods at lower prices.
Alien workers who pay the gangs 500 baht each for such a service will be
sent to immigration officers, charged with illegal entry and detained for a few
days before deportation.
The Nation - Aug 21,
2000.
Export outlook bright for Nestle BY SANICHA SRIPRAYOONSKUL NESTLE Trading (Thailand) Ltd has projected export revenue of Bt4.5 billion
for this year, and will emphasise expansion into Indochina and Burma, with
particular attention toward Vietnam.
Suree Sircharoon, Nestle's vice president of exports and Indochina
development, said the company expects to increase export revenue from Bt3.6
billion last year to Bt4.5 billion this year.
Last year, Bt1.7 billion of the company's export revenues came from Nestle
factories. Revenue from Nestle factories totalled Bt1.2 billion during the first
seven months of this year. The remainder of the company's revenue is generated
from other products, such as green coffee.
Last year Nestle Trading's total exports in Asia dropped 5 per cent from
1998, due mostly to a drop in demand in Indochina.
Nestle Group also opened a factory in Cambodia early last year, resulting
in less demand there for products from Thailand. However, Nestle's exports to
Asean markets last year increased by 45 per cent from the previous year.
"We just opened up a new factory here in Nawanakorn, which has the
capability to produce 250,000 tonnes of liquid milk per year. Theoretically,
this should bring about lower costs for our products,'' Suree said.
Suree said Nestle Trading will focus on developing efficient production
processes and relying on supply-chain management to reduce production costs. It
also will emphasise training of distributors and sub-distributors, and the
planning to ensure availability of products in demand.
Indochina and Burma are still suffering from tough economic times resulting
from the financial crisis, but all except Laos are expected to improve this
year, Suree said.
Vietnam is Nestle's major destination in Indochina. Suree said Vietnam's
population of 75 million and its relatively higher gross domestic product make
it an attractive market.
Because its export strategy depends on demand generated by distributors,
Nestle Trading plans to establish sub-distributors and train local staff in the
country.
There are already eight major importers and more than 40 main distributors
of Nestle products in Vietnam. The company has no investment plans for the
country, such as a factory, but it intends to increase the variety of products
available.
Far Eastern Economic Review
Aug 24, 2000 Japanese Persuasion Technique Burma's decision to reopen its universities last month after a hiatus of
nearly four years has been welcomed as a small sign that the military junta is
easing its iron grip over civic life. The move didn't appear to have been
prompted by any specific event, but a senior Japanese politician says his
controversial "private" visit last December may have helped influence the
decision. "I never once threatened to withhold cooperation if the universities
didn't open," former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto told the Review. "But as a
friend, it was mentioned that would be an important way to show the
international community that the country is stable." Hashimoto met top Burmese
ruler Than Shwe during the trip, which came shortly after the first meeting
between the two countries' leaders in 15 years. Japan has been trying to nudge
Burma toward economic and political liberalization in return for economic
assistance. |