A Change of Guard

សូមស្តាប់វិទ្យុសង្គ្រោះជាតិ Please read more Khmer news and listen to CNRP Radio at National Rescue Party. សូមស្តាប់វីទ្យុខ្មែរប៉ុស្តិ៍/Khmer Post Radio.
Follow Khmerization on Facebook/តាមដានខ្មែរូបនីយកម្មតាម Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/khmerization.khmerican

Thursday 4 February 2010

Five Cambodian fishermen escaped from a Thai fishing boat in East Timor

By Khmerization
Source: Khmer Express News

Five Cambodian fishermen have jumped ship in East Timor waters from a Thai fishing boat, claiming appalling conditions and maltreatment by the Thai boat owner, report Khmer Express News.

The 5 Cambodian fishermen said they were living in appalling conditions in the Thai fishing boat and were forced to work very hard. They decided to jump ship after one of their Cambodian colleagues became sick and died on the boat. The Thai boat owner ordered them to throw the body of the dead man into the sea.

Mr. Chan Soveth, human rights investigator working for the human rights group Adhoc, said the Thai fishing boat that ordered the throwing of the Cambodian dead man into the sea is named Sombok 25. He said the 5 Cambodian workers were shocked at their treatment and the inhuman disposing of their colleague's body that they decided to jump ship, swam to the nearest island and were drifted toward the East Timor Sea when they were rescued by East Timorese fishermen at 2:30 pm on 21st of January.

Mr. Chan Soveth said, from the reports he had received, those 5 Cambodians were all working on the Thai fishing boat. They were drifted in the East Timorese island of Laopalos in the Timor Sea. They were rescued by East Timorese fishermen and were given medical care and temporarily housed by UNPOL (United Nations Police).

Mr. Chan Soveth said the five Cambodian fishermen are Phoung Siem, Lon Tum, Hun Sok Kong, Hel Kai and Lon Thai. These people came from Takeo, Kampong Cham and battambang provinces.

Mr. Chan Soveth said he is coordinating with local as well as international NGOs and also the East Timorese government to repatriate the five back to Cambodia. He added that currently, there are hundreds of thousands of Cambodians working in Thailand, some legally and some illegally, where they have been maltreated, jailed and died of accidents at the worksites.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The Thais are cruel and barbarians. They look down on Khmers, maltreated them and killed them like chickens.