NLD urged to clean house

David Scott Mathieson said in his article published on Myanmar Now's website that it is certainly understandable that many inside Myanmar are shocked at the Koh Tao murder case verdict and angry about the widespread mistreatment of migrant workers from Myanmar in Thailand. 

"But while correctly demanding that Thailand end its rights abuses against migrants, the incoming National League for Democracy government also needs to urgently address the structural inequalities and abuses that have driven people from Myanmar to work and live outside their country for many years.  Myanmar can hardly be considered as a future economic treasure trove when the benefits of its natural resources and its growing economy are not shared broadly with the rural poor, whose livelihoods continue to be insecure," he said.

To him, the Koh Tao case has highlighted the poor treatment faced by the over two million Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand, an issue that has been a source of frequent tensions between the two neighbours. Thai police, government officials and employers have been implicated in a system of pervasive abuse that includes killings, beatings, human trafficking and mistreatment of workers in the offshore fishing industry, food processing factories, plantations and farms, garment and other light industry factories, and even the lucrative tourism sector.  These abuses have been documented by Human Rights Watch and others for decades.

More of the article can be found at: http://www.myanmar-now.org/news/i/?id=b07bce7d-b220-4e83-9b1f-dce0c179b377