Documentary Illegal Immigrants
At least two million Burmese work in Thailand of which only one fourth
have valid work permits.*1 The number of illegal Burmese increased
dramatically after 1990, as increasing human rights abuses and
economic hardships forced young men and women to leave Burma.
In Thailand, illegal Burmese workers are doing the bulk of the lowly paid
or dirty work that Thais don’t want to do. They do it for 1-2 euro’s a day.
“Some employers say they give accommodation, food, electricity
so they don’t need to pay the workers, so there are a range of
exploitative conditions that are there.”*2
When you have no papers, you can be sent home any second by the Thai
government. “Sending these refugees back to Burma is sending them back
to possible death, slave labour or forced recruitment as soldiers,” said
Zoya Phan, of the Burma Campaign UK.”*3
While the Thai authorities insist that no one will be forced to return to Burma
against their will, they have said that those who want to go home could start
returning immediately. It has been claimed that officials have already been
putting pressure on some of the refugees.*3
For my documentary I’ve followed a group of 300 illegal Burmese immigrants
who are living and working on a garbage dump in Mae Sot, Thailand. They
earn their money by picking out and recycling plastic and glass bottles.
They live on the dump because they have no other place to go.
*1 The Mizzima – Mizzima.com; 28 November 2008
*2 Radio Nederland Wereldomroep – Rnw.nl; 17 June 2005
*3 The Indepentent – indepentent.co.cuk; 5 February 2010
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