Death truck survivors face deportation

By Nopporn Wong-Anan, Thailand; The Australian, 11 April 2008

Survivors of a human smuggling tragedy in Thailand, in which 54 people suffocated in a locked container truck, will be deported back to army-ruled Myanmar, a Thai court has ruled.

Fifty survivors were fined up to 2,000 baht each for being in the country illegally, but most could not pay and faced a brief jail term before they are deported, court officials said.

Another 14 youths were sent to an immigration centre to await immediate deportation.

The driver, named by police as Suchon Boonplongin, has eluded a manhunt since he abandoned the truck late on Wednesday.

Some 120 migrants were crammed upright in a 6m container and began passing out when the air conditioning system failed enroute to the southern tourist island of Phuket.

"Police from various units are looking for Suchon and other people involved in the trafficking ring," Police Major-General Apirak Hongthong said.

Both men will be charged with conspiracy to hide, help or smuggle illegal aliens into Thailand, and for careless actions causing death, police said.

If convicted, they face a maximum 10 years in jail.

Survivors said they pounded on the sides and screamed at the driver as the air grew thinner inside the stifling hot container.

"We contacted the driver using a mobile phone, but he told us in Burmese to keep quiet and make no trouble," Tida Toy, 21, told the Bangkok Post newspaper.

"He switched off the phone and drove on," she said.

Their horrific deaths have sparked outrage from rights groups and renewed calls for tough action against human trafficking networks in the region.

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