Every afternoon with their Burmese crew, Thai owned fishing trawlers sail out into the Andaman sea from the fishing village of Baan Nahm Kem in South Thailand. They work all night until dawn, before returning with their catch in the morning. Sleeping, eating and working on the boats is the life of these fishermen.
Driven by a crippled economy and repressive government there are hundreds...
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Every afternoon with their Burmese crew, Thai owned fishing trawlers sail out into the Andaman sea from the fishing village of Baan Nahm Kem in South Thailand. They work all night until dawn, before returning with their catch in the morning. Sleeping, eating and working on the boats is the life of these fishermen.
Driven by a crippled economy and repressive government there are hundreds of thousands legal and illegal Burmese migrants living and working in Thailand. Taking on hard, low paid jobs that the Thais do not want, they often end up working in the agriculture, manufacturing and fishery industries.
With few rights and little support, migrant workers can face abuse and discrimination from their employers, local people and government policies. The risks are worth it for most. Compared Burma, ruined by decades of non-governance, Thailand gives the opportunity to earn some money and support families still living in Burma. The workers on this Thai owned fishing trawler earn around 5000 Thai Baht (160 US$) a month depending on how many fish are caught cat. Work is hard, but there is a strong comradeship and the fishermen appear happy and healthy.
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