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Natural Disasters and Justice

Advocating for the Unwelcome

by Patricia DeBoer, Regional Director for Southeast Asia

Natural disasters expose and magnify divisions in society. When services and relief supplies are being allocated, it becomes clear who society considers worthy, wanted, and legitimate—and who it does not.

In Thailand, the December 2004 tsunami hit popular beaches at the height of the mid-winter tourist season. Official death tolls list more foreigners than Thais as victims—mainly Western tourists on their holiday vacations.

The Thai government was widely commended for its response to the disaster, for the outpouring of support for foreigners caught in the nightmare, and for its efficient and sensitive handling of identification and repatriation of bodies. But one foreign group was excluded from this sympathy—the low-wage migrant workers from Burma who play a significant role in the Thai economy.

In Phang Nga province where AFSC is supporting tsunami relief efforts, there were 32,000 registered workers and probably an equal number of unregistered migrants. Many migrants had lived in Thailand for years, bringing family members with them. When the tsunami struck, migrant laborers were working on fishing boats and at beach resorts, on rubber plantations and construction crews. They lost children, husbands, wives, siblings, and friends when the waves rolled over the coast.

Protecting the Unwelcome

Burmese workers filling our forms.

In the chaos following the disaster, the media reported that migrants were engaged in looting and the police began arbitrary arrests and deportations of Burmese migrant workers. Many workers had lost their identity papers; even those who could prove their legal status were not safe. Within two weeks, more than 1,400 Burmese were deported and many others went into hiding. Fear and discrimination kept them from shelters, food distribution centers, and hospitals. Two months after the tsunami, relief workers were still finding groups of hungry, frightened Burmese in the hills.

A coalition of Thai and Myanmar based groups coordinated outreach to Burmese migrants, with supplies from international agencies. AFSC supported efforts by the Thai Action Committee for Democracy in Burma (TACDB) to gain amnesty and re- registration of migrants.

The government reluctantly opened special registration periods. However, given the climate of fear and the short duration of the registration period, more than two-thirds of the workers rebuilding the coastal area remain unregistered, compared to one-half before the tsunami. Even religious ceremonies for the dead in November and International Migrant Day celebrations were interrupted by police raids.

Identifying the Lost

Burmese woman with photo of lost family members.

Burmese migrants were not allowed to go to the temples where bodies were collected, and were afraid to report dead or missing people for fear of being arrested. As a result, most of the one thousand unidentified bodies are suspected to be Burmese workers.

AFSC is now supporting TACDB to help Burmese workers identify missing relatives through DNA testing. In January 2006, after much lobbying to the Thai government about procedures, the first six bodies of Burmese migrant workers were released to relatives for burial. Read interviews with Burmese workers.

Vulnerable to exploitation

Migrant workers, even those with legal registration, have always been vulnerable to exploitation by unscrupulous contractors and officials. The tsunami highlighted the plight of these workers. For months, many migrants were working only for food and the relative security an employer could provide. Numerous contractors turned over migrants to police for deportation at the end of contracts, a clear attempt to avoid paying them.

Several groups set up programs to address these problems. AFSC is supporting the Grassroots Human Rights Education and Development Committee, which provides emergency relief, advocacy, and, in coordination with TACDB, legal support. AFSC funded the purchase of construction tools, which have given the workers greater bargaining power with the contractors.

The tsunami-affected area has been swiftly rebuilt, with new schools, houses, hotels, and businesses everywhere. They are being built by people who cannot send their children to the schools, own the houses and businesses, or patronize the hotels.

Infrastructure can be rebuilt; building justice in society is much more difficult.

Burmese migrant women construction workers in Thailand.

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