Thousands of Burmese migrant workers who waited outside Talay Thai Hall in Samut Sakhon, Thailand were denied the opportunity of seeing State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s speech there on 23 June.
Though Thai business owners had selected 500 migrant workers to be allowed into the hall only about 200 migrant workers were present when Aung San Suu Kyi gave her speech, according to people who attended the ceremony.
Min Thiha, the leader of the Mon Workers’ Group, who was not allowed to enter the hall said to I.M.N.A.: “The workers wanted to express their difficulties and how their rights are being violated. The workers who are really suffering weren’t allowed inside the hall and only 500 workers selected by the business owners and Thai authorities were allowed inside so the rest of the workers couldn’t submit anything.”
He said that Burmese workers want Aung San Suu Kyi to negotiate with the Thai government about its decision to stop issuing four-year visas for Burmese workers, which they feel is unfair.
The workers also wanted to ask Aung San Suu Kyi to help them get permission to renew their passports in the towns where they are living and to ask the authorities to make sure all business owners follow Thai labour laws.
He also said that Burmese workers had wanted to meet Aung San Suu Kyi so that they could explain to her how they felt and denying them that opportunity had rendered her meeting ineffective.
When she met with workers’ leaders outside the hall Aung San Suu Kyi said that she was disappointed that the Thai authorities had selected which workers would be allowed to meet her and that she had been unable make a speech to the workers outside as planned, due to the heavy rain.
Later she released a message for the workers who waited for her in the rain saying that she was very sad that she had not been able to meet with all the Burmese citizens who wanted to meet her and that even though they had not met she understands the difficulties faced by Burmese migrant workers in Thailand.
Following an invitation from the Thai Prime Minister, Prayut Chan-o-cha, Aung San Suu Kyi officially visited Thailand from 23 to 25 June.
She first visited Thailand when she was the leader of the opposition in 2012. During that visit she met with Burmese migrant workers in Mahachai and visited Karen refugee camps on the Thai-Burma border.
The Thai government estimates that in Thailand there are around two million registered Burmese migrant workers and many others who are undocumented.
Reporting by Wun Thaman for MNA
Translated by Thida LinnEdited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI
