Unprotected workers from Myanmar under collapsed building
A special scanner has detected 70 signs under the rubble. The investigations are pointing to the Chinese developer (a topic already censored on Chinese social media). Unsafe work is a scourge for Myanmar migrants in Thailand, a situation long highlighted by human rights groups.
Bangkok (AsiaNews) – A scanner has detected 70 signs that could indicate the presence of people missing under the rubble of the 32-storey State Audit Office building in Bangkok under construction that collapsed on Friday.
The sensor, provided by the US military, detected signs between the 17th and 21st floors, where most of the missing were working, when the quake occurred.
It is not certain that each sign corresponds to a person, but it confirms the extent of the tragedy at the project under construction by the China Railway No. 10 Engineering Group, which employed many workers from Myanmar.
Construction is perhaps the one sector of the economy in which migrants from Myanmar are most visible in Thailand.
Brought to construction sites in the morning and crammed in the evening into lorries provided by the construction company that take them back to their dormitories (when they are not employed in shifts that allow huge buildings to be built in a short time), these workers toil in all weather conditions for extended hours even in the heart of Thailand’s main cities, in working conditions that often do not meet legal standards for daily wages that fall below the minimum wage of 400 baht (just under US$ 12).
All anyone has to do is look up to see them, more visible than those employed in fishing and agriculture; yet they “blend” in the urban landscape, unconsidered by most Thais or the many foreigners who flock to Bangkok’s central district, and the many “paradises” built along the coasts or on the islands.
An estimated six million immigrants live in Thailand, both legal and undocumented. About a million and a half from Myanmar are legally in the country, plus 1.8 million irregular migrants.
Myanmar’s diaspora, which has grown over the decades, is the byproduct of two converging needs, those of migrants themselves seeking to earn a better living and, in many cases, a way out of repression, and those of Thai entrepreneurs who want productive, docile and cheap labour.
Even today, despite a poor situation that does not lead to optimism, Thailand retains strong attraction for many people from Myanmar given the lack of prospects back home.
In most cases of necessity, migration needs to see recognised, what a joint report by nine UN agencies involved with migration indicated a few months ago, namely guarantees of fair treatment, proper working conditions, respect for human rights, the possibility of access to justice, social protection and medical assistance.
This requires Thai authorities to be more sincere and forthcoming, adhering to international commitments as part of sustainable development for the country.
In addition to the event itself, the local and international reaction to the building‘s collapse which engulfed dozens of workers, mostly from Myanmar, must be placed in this context.
For Thai Industry Minister Akanat Promphan, the disaster is the result of the use of poor materials, inadequate design and poor execution; he expects an inquiry to shed light on the company that oversaw the construction, the China Railway No. 10 Engineering Group.
Focus will be on the steel bars supplied by Xin Ke Yuan Steel Co, a Chinese company that has a factory in Rayong province already in the crosshairs of Thai authorities for the poor quality of its products.
The tragic failure of the project, the developer’s largest in Thailand, has reopened the debate on the working conditions of immigrants employed in Thailand’s construction industry, but also on the quality and standards of Chinese construction abroad.
As soon as the issue started trending on Chinese social media after the earthquake, Chinese authorities quickly blocked it.
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