Jury Chai : A vehicle carrying Burmese migrant workers crashed on the way from Ranong in southern Thailand to Samut Sakhon, this morning at 8 am. The vehicle’s passengers were returning from registering for temporary passports in Ranong.
About 39 migrant workers were injured in the accident, and were treated in Maekong hospital. The vehicle in question was traveling in a caravan of three buses. No deaths have been reported.
According to a witness from one of the other buses, the vehicle hit a pole in the road and swerved into a ditch.
This witness reported, “yes, it capsized and many people got injured, but its not sure [if anyone is] dead”.
The vehicle in question carried 39 migrant workers, two brokers, a driver and his follower. Each vehicle in the caravan carried about 39 migrant workers, and were express buses from Ranong to Samut Sakhon.
This witness reported that the accident occurred near Samut Sakhon, and that most of the migrant workers injured were Burmese and Mon.
According to an agency that makes temporary passports in Ranong, the driver of the crashed vehicle will take responsibility for the costs of the crash victims’ hospital treatment. Many broke their legs or arms in the crash. Currently Thai police are investigating the scene of the accident.
A representative from the agency said, “The accident is not the concern of the broker, but the concern of the driver. It would have been our responsibility if they hadn’t gotten their temporary passports yet [when he accident occurred]”.
The migrant workers in question arrived in Ranong on the evening on October 5th, and after finishing the registration process, embarked on their return to Samut Sakhon on the evening of the 6th , the agency representative added.
Earlier this year, a migrant workers’ vehicle crashed on the way from Three Pagodas Pass on the Thai-Burma border to Sangkhla village in Thailand, leaving many injured.
Sources who contributed to IMNA’s coverage of the story reported that vehicle carried 27 migrant workers; 8 injured received treatment at Sangkhlaburi hospital; one man who was seriously injured was treated at Kanchanaburi hospital, in Kanchanaburi Provice in Thailand.
