Seafarers Union of Burma Second Working Trip to the Tsunami-devastated Provinces
S.U.B Second Working Trip to the Tsunami-devastated Provinces
(22 – 25 Jan 2005)
With the assistance fund contributed by the JRU and the JREU, Seafarers Union of Burma (S.U.B) have managed to organize the following second working trip to the south of Thailand.
The affected areas second trip covered:
Phuket – Saphan Phla (Siray Island)
Phang-Nga
Taplamu
Ban Nam Khem
Ban Mamuang
Ban Liung
Takuapa
Ban Kuraburi
Ranong
Kawthaung (border town inside Burma)
Immediate relief effort & necessary assistance:
Phang-Nga Hospital
- 13 hospitalized migrants found out
- Out of these numbers three are not with proper document (work permit lost or no document since in the past)
- For the 10 injured, there was no need to pay hospital bill though for the three injured their hospital bill was paid through a Thai labour union (Phuket Federation of Hotel and Service Labour)
- One injured migrant has lost one of his arms
- One has broken two legs to pieces in the Tsunami and his legs are now substituted by steel
- S.U.B Local Worker Contacts are still finding for another injured migrants in the surrounding areas
Death toll in Ban Nam Khem
- S.U.B Local Worker Contacts have gathered as much as they could the information that 80 Burmese fishery workers were killed in tsunamis (perhaps the toll could rise and there are also still missing migrants)
- They are still conducting more detailed survey on the dead toll, the remaining families, children and relatives
- By the S.U.B arrangement, they will hold a funeral rites ceremony in Buddhist tradition for the unfortunate victims on 28 Jan 2005
Kawthaung (border town across the sea opposite of Ranong)
- 20 family members have lost their houses in the Tsunami in one of the villages of Kawthaung
- For their urgent need of shelter S.U.B has managed as first priority and first phase to render full fund assistance to them for the resettlement of their houses (20 houses)
- Fund assistance was done through S.U.B local union contact whose name is confidential
Set up of S.U.B Local Worker Contacts
In order to enhance S.U.B relief and rehabilitation efforts to Burmese migrants, the following local worker contacts have been established:-
1. Aung Kyaw Zaw – Ban Nam Khem Contact number: 07 2644110
2. Win Than – Ban Nam Khem Contact number: 07 2785003
3. Win Lwin – Taplamu Contact number: 01 4771405
4. U Ohn Kyaing – Taplamu Contact number: 09 6474462
S.U.B could manage to provide two mobile handsets for them so that the smooth and regular communication could be established for coordination efforts. S.U.B is also providing for their traveling cost for the relief and rehabilitation efforts to migrant workers.
Coordination efforts with Thai labour union
The Phuket Federation of Hotel and Service Labour have approached to Sister Ploenpit Sirisi from the Labour Union of the Port Authority of Thailand for establishment of joint coordination efforts to help Burmese migrant workers.
To that purpose, the Phuket Federation of Hotel and Service Labour and S.U.B could establish a joint task force. Our local contact Brother Aung Kyaw Zaw is represented by the S.U.B coordinator in the assistance efforts.
In the task force, the following are from the Thai labour union:
1. Brother Benjapol Sookkhum Contact number: 09 2903003
Email: benjapol.su@chaiyo.com
2. Brother Sanan Sriprom Contact number: 06 2785574
Email: kendo_sriprom@hotmail.com
3. Brother Nares
Address
Le Meridien Phuket
PO Box 277, Phuket 83000, Thailand
Tel: (076) 340480-5 Fax: (076) 340479
The statements both in Thai and Burmese languages have been issued by the joint task force to distribute amongst Burmese migrant workers in order to render more assistance to the needy. (Attached)
S.U.B has also contributed towards a Burmese migrant workers association for use in their relief efforts.
Date published: 31 January 2005
Source: Seafarers Union of Burma
