Thai troops shoot dead Myanmar migrants - police
Published: Feb 25, 2010 15:29 Updated: Feb 25, 2010 15:29
BANGKOK: Three people were killed and five wounded on Thursday when Thai troops opened fire on a pickup truck smuggling Burmese migrants in a southwestern province bordering Myanmar, police said.
Troops in Ranong, 580 km (360 miles) from Bangkok fired shots to try to bring the truck to a halt as it sped toward them, but eight of the 13 migrants were hit, three fatally, Police Col. Veerasin Kwangseng told Reuters by telephone.
"Initial reports showed the vehicle was heading toward them and they shot at the tires in self defense when it failed to stop," Veerasin said.
The Thai driver of the truck would likely be charged with attempted murder for his failure to stop, and with smuggling illegal aliens, Veerasin said. The survivors would also be charged with illegal entry into Thailand.
The incident came two days after the New York-based Human Rights Watch released a report criticising Thailand for its poor treatment of migrants, many from neighboring Myanmar.
The report said migrants from Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, were subjected to extortion, arbitrary detention, forced labor and physical abuse, often at the hands of state officials operating with impunity.
Ranong, a 30-minute boat ride from the Myanmar port town of Kawthaung, is a major entry point for Burmese migrants, of which more than 1 million work in Thailand, many illegally, in tourism, construction and manufacturing sectors.
