I was over in Thailand last week when this all broke loose. Sounds like the same situation here doesn't it? In effect, the governments in countries adjacent to Thailand are similair to Mexico. The poor can't/won't make an effort to change their own governments so they come to Thailand instead. I guess Thailand is "evil" too for sending them back to their home country! Oh...where is the UN when it is needed?

Published Wednesday | April 16, 2008
Driver in Thai truck tragedy surrenders
The Associated Press

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - The driver of a truck in which 54 illegal immigrants from Myanmar suffocated last week has surrendered and confessed to working for a human smuggling network, Thai police said Wednesday.

Suchon Bunplong, 38, turned himself in Tuesday after a six-day manhunt, police Col. Kraithong Chanthongbai said.

"He was scared he would be killed by the others involved (in the network), so he surrendered for his own safety," said Kraithong, adding that police were searching for two other suspects identified by Suchon.

The driver said he was hired for $2,300 to take the migrants from the border town of Ranong to the resort island of Phuket in southern Thailand. He was paid half the money in advance and was to collect the rest on arrival, Kraithong said.

The tragedy has shed light on the brutal cost of human trafficking and the plight of desperate job-seekers in parts of Southeast Asia.

Thailand is a magnet for millions of migrants from its poorer neighbors - illegal workers who lack legal protection and are often ruthlessly exploited. The migrants from Cambodia, Laos and especially Myanmar take menial and dangerous jobs shunned by Thais. More than 1 million people from Myanmar are believed to be working in Thailand.

The 54 who died were among 121 people crammed into the truck's sweltering 20-foot container, which was locked and unventilated.

About 30 minutes into the trip, the passengers began pounding on the walls and screamed for help, survivors said last week. They used a mobile phone to call the driver, who briefly turned on air conditioning.

The air conditioning later shut down, and they called the driver again but couldn't get through. One survivor said last week the driver's phone had been switched off.

Suchon told police he ignored the ringing phone because he was driving at night and trying to concentrate on a dark, winding road, said police Lt. Gen. Apirak Hongthong. Suchon said he also feared that if he stopped the truck he would attract attention from other motorists.

About two hours into the journey, Suchon pulled over, unlocked the container and quickly fled when he saw the state of the victims, police said.

Thai authorities said last week that 53 of the 67 survivors would be jailed for two months on charges of illegal entry and then deported. Fourteen of the survivors were minors under the age of 18 who were sent home without trial.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Published Monday | April 21, 2008
6 Thai nationals to be charged in migrant deaths in truck
By AMBIKA AHUJA Associated Press Writer
The Associated Press

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - Six Thai nationals will be charged with death by negligence after 54 illegal Myanmar migrants suffocated while being smuggled through Thailand in a tiny, locked truck, police said Monday.

The 54 dead were among some 120 job seekers from Myanmar crammed inside the truck, which was abandoned by the driver on April 10 when he noticed passengers dying in the back.

The migrants began suffocating when the air conditioning failed in the vehicle, normally used for transporting seafood.

The migrants had been seeking jobs in the booming resort area of Phuket after being smuggled by boat from their country into the Thai port of Ranong on the Andaman Sea.

Immigration police commander Lt. Gen. Chatchawal Suksomjit said the crime of causing death by negligence carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail for each person that died.

Not enough evidence exists yet to prosecute the six people - including the truck's driver - for human trafficking, he said.

Among the 66 survivors, 50 were convicted of illegal entry into Thailand and were still being held. Two were not charged because poor health kept them hospitalized, and 14 were minors who will be returned to Myanmar.

Some survivors will be asked to testify against those involved, said police Col. Kraithong Chanthongbai, adding that an investigation could take up to three months to complete.

The tragedy shed light on the often brutal result of human trafficking and the plight of desperate people in the region.

Prosperous Thailand is a magnet for people from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar who take menial and dangerous jobs shunned by Thais, and face exploitation in their efforts to earn a living. More than 1 million migrants from Myanmar are believed to be working in Thailand.