Migrant Workers in Phuket

PHUKET, THAILAND - 2014/08/04: A young child seen through a barred window in Phuket. Every year hundreds of thousands of tourists come to Thailand. But in the shadow of mass tourism, there is a different reality. Reporters have found serious grievances among migrant workers in hotels used by the tourists. Trafficking and modern slavery are part of everyday life for those who pay the highest price to be smuggled into the country. Htoo Aung says that seven other Burmese and he were led by smugglers through the jungle for eight days. They slept in the open air for short periods during the day. Under the cover of darkness, they took a long detour into the thorny terrain to bypass roadblocks controlled by the Tatmadaw, the Burmese junta's feared military force. From Htoo Aungs small village in the state of Mon in one of the world's least developed countries, the group slowly moved southwards. I was terrified. We were passed by a soldier patrol just meters from the bushes where we were hiding. But they did not see us. Says Htoo Aung Many of the migrant workers who came over from Myanmar have made it to Thailand illegally. They saw little chance in Burma for a life of proper employment and so many of them made the choice to contact a broker that could help them get across the border illegally to come and work in Thailand as hotel staff or fishermen. Most of these workers had to risk their lives being smuggled through thick terrains of jungle and once they got to Thailand, they were instantly in debt as most dont have enough to pay the brokers for the smuggle. According to a report by the International Labor Organization, migrant workers generate up to the equivalent of almost $15 million per year to the Thai economy. But these figures were recorded in 2007; since then the estimated number of migrant workers in the country has doubled - from 1.8 million to almost 4. (Photo by Jonas Gratzer/LightRocket via Getty Images)