ENGLISH DEYEA NEWS

by Usa Pichai | Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – The government of Thailand signed an anti-human trafficking understanding with the Burmese junta on Friday even as the Malaysian Prime Minister vowed to act against human trafficking of Burmese migrants.

Issara Somchai, Thailand’s Minister of Social Development and Social Security signed a memorandum of understanding with his Burmese counterpart Major General Maung Oo, Minister of Interior in Naypyidaw, Burma’s capital on anti-human trafficking, particularly women and children.

The agreement is to be used as a framework to protect and help the victims of human traffickers from both countries, according to reports from Thailand’s Ministry of Social Development and Human Security on Friday.

Issara Somchai said that the current economic crisis would increase mass migration in the region which would encourage human traffickers to benefit from the migrants.

“The agreement focused on cooperation, on protection and support to the victims of traffickers which include repatriation to their homeland,” he said.

In addition the MOU is also linked to the previous agreement in 2004 between the two countries on protection of human trafficking of migrant labourers, which attempt organized a migrant labour management to solve the illegal migration problem.

The human trafficking of Burmese migrants also sparked the issue between the Malaysian government and US lawmakers. However, the details of the managements attempt have not been revealed yet.

On Friday, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak vowed to investigate a scathing report by U.S. lawmakers saying thousands of Burmese refugees were handed over to human traffickers and ended up working in brothels, fishing boats and restaurants across the border in Thailand if they had no money to purchase their freedom.

The report was based on a yearlong review by committee staff who spoke to migrants from Burma and human rights activists.

"We will take appropriate action," Najib said. "We do not want Malaysia to be used as a point for human trafficking ... but we need to know more facts," according to a report by Associated Press on Saturday.

According to the Senate committee report, "a few thousand" Burmese migrants in recent years might have become victims of extortion and trafficking once they were deported across Malaysia's northern border with Thailand.

Earlier this year, former Malaysian Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar dismissed claims of human trafficking at the border as "wild allegations." But national police chief Musa Hassan said earlier this month that Malaysian and Thai police and immigration officials were investigating the claims.

The New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a statement that Malaysia's government should act on this U.S. Senate report to protect the rights of refugees and victims of human trafficking.

The U.N. refugee agency has registered 47,600 refugees living in Malaysia as of the end of March of whom 42,300 are from Burma.