New Dam Helps Farmers Shake Off Poverty

Poverty, discrimination, the language barrier and official red tape are making migrant fishermen in Pattani extremely vulnerable to HIV.

Neither sweltering heat nor scorching sun in the summer bothers 20-year-old Nu Juan. Right now, a surprise police raid is his worst fear. Since his work permit expired a year ago, he is officially an illegal immigrant working in Thailand. If he were arrested, he would be deported to his birth country and to the desolate life from which he escaped.

"My life would be practically over if I were sent back to Cambodia. Jobs are very scarce there, and I don't know how I would support my family. I hope I could outrun [the police] if they came," said the young man with a playful grin.

Nu Juan is a typical migrant worker in Thailand who entered the Kingdom with high expectations of earning a sizeable amount of cash. Back in his hometown, his arid farm could hardly put food on the table. As the breadwinner of his family, he decided to seek a better fortune in Thailand. Hundreds of other migrant seafarers share a similar story.

Two years after he left his country, Nu Juan is now living on a boat and working erratic hours. Despite harsh weather conditions from cold rain to torrid temperatures at sea, he and other seafarers endure the back-breaking job without any complaints.

Today, he pockets about 3,000 baht per month-three times more than what he made at home.

"I am satisfied with what I have right now. Though the job is tough, I am able to send some money back home," he said.

A decade ago, many able-bodied men like Nu Juan fled their countries for myriad job openings in Thailand. Prospering fishery businesses along the coastal areas were their favourite destinations.

The idyllic province of Pattani, now the largest port in the country, attracted thousands of immigrants each year. Fleets of fishing boats recruited more and more young men, and crews were needed at the docks to sort fish, clean the floors and lift heavy baskets. For penniless migrant workers, Pattani was a safe haven. Or so they thought.

"There are approximately 30,000 migrant labourers working in Pattani right now," said Wiroj Janthanimi, the president of the Pattani Fishery Association. "When Thai men moved to the city for construction jobs, spots became available for migrant workers to fill. [The migrant workers] are willing to do the work for the return of reasonable pay."

As the fishery industry blossomed and gigantic factories emerged on idle plots of land, Pattani transformed itself into a bustling industrial town. Alongside the pallid-looking concrete plants, flashy beauty parlours and karaoke bars sprung up along the sleepy lanes to add vitality to the night scene.

The number of Aids patients rose swiftly with the number of bars and bordellos.

In spite of the government's zealous campaign to prevent HIV years ago, the tally of HIV-positive migrant workers is still soaring. The inability to understand Thai and lack of access to medical services has hounded these workers closer to the periphery and alienated them from a safe-sex education.

"It's really hard to keep track of these people," said Supeecha Paothip, Care International Thailand's project co-ordinator in Pattani. "They spend little time on shore, and the majority of them move back and forth between their hometown and Pattani."

She added that most of the migrant workers could neither read nor understand Thai; therefore, the booklets handed out by government agencies are practically useless.

To her surprise, some of the workers she has met are oblivious to the deadly epidemic. Na Ing Yu, a 20-year-old Burmese seafarer, is a case in point. As he pored over a small comic book about Aids written in his native language, his face showed curiosity and confusion. Na Ing Yu admitted that he knew nothing about Aids. Back at his school in Burma, they had never touched upon the subject.

"I had just heard about it, but I didn't know how you could catch it or how to protect yourself. I didn't realise that Aids was so horrible," he said.

Thanks to the simple, easy-to-read comics distributed by Care, hundreds of anxious migrant teenagers who work as seafarers are now more aware about Aids.

Language and ineffective education mediums aren't the only obstacles, however. What makes this coastal town a perfect spawning ground for HIV is the gaudy bordellos and bars that cater to restless seafarers with deep pockets.

"These men work really hard, and they have only a few days to have fun on shore. When night falls, they crowd the karaoke bars looking for something to do," said Supeecha.

Jon Chan, a Cambodian who has been working in Thailand for eight years, admitted shyly that he went to a brothel occasionally. When asked about condoms, he said he used them because his friends told him to.

"They said [condoms] can protect you from Aids. But there was a time when I was drunk and I forgot to put one on," aid Chan.

The infamous Pattani red-light district is nestled right at the hub of the town's centre near a gas station. At night, the alleyways are lit up with colourful neon and flickering strobe lights. Women with heavy make-up, tight T-shirts and low-rise jeans chat merrily with their co-workers and customers. The noisy strip hosts more than 20 brothels.

Panthong, a sex-worker at one brothel, said that using condoms while having sexual intercourse is a "must" there. Customers who refuse to use a condom will be asked to leave immediately. "This is the owner's policy. And I think everybody else follows the same rule. You don't want to mess around with Aids," she said.

Many of the young seafarers prefer to hang out at the karaoke joints located conveniently near the dock. There, a row of one-unit brick apartments was transformed into cosy restaurants inhabited by beautiful waitresses. The owners said that the girls are there to entertain the guests, not for sex.

"If I caught my girls sleeping with the customers, they would be fired," said Patchanee Janpunya, who started his business four years ago. Almost all of his customers are seafarers, and the girls are Thai. So how do they communicate? Apparently, the customers are capable of understanding basic Thai.

Simple conversation is more than enough to keep the seafarers happy, said another worker named Suphaluck, who is 23. She boasted that her amicable personality has earned her generous tips, sometimes up to 1,000 baht. "I just have to set a comfortable atmosphere knowing that they work very hard. Telling jokes and listening to their stories can ease their tension, and sometimes that's all they need."

Although some of her customers have made a pass at her or taken her out to the shopping mall downtown, she never goes to bed with them. Suphaluck added that the customers respect the rules.

Because the migrant workers open up to Suphaluck, Supeecha asked her to join her team as a special volunteer. After intensive training on Aids/HIV prevention, Suphaluck now plays a pivotal role in spreading the safe-sex message to her peers and customers.

"I love working as volunteer," Suphaluck said. "I feel good when people come to me for advice. Yesterday, I handed out condoms to my customers and explained to them about Aids, since I had a hunch that some of them would go to the brothels afterwards. I don't mind if they do, but I want to at least make sure that they know how to protect themselves."

Supannee Hongsopha, a field worker for Care, hopes that more girls like Suphaluck volunteer to help spread the message. "Most of [the girls] are very shy about talking about sexual topics. But having Suphaluck as volunteer makes our work much easier," she said.

Care's staff is planning many activities like sport events and parties for the girls so they can educate them about Aids and get more women involved in helping curtail the epidemic.

"Dealing with the dock owners is very complicated," said Supeecha. "Many of them are still sceptical of NGOs. They are afraid that we might have some hidden agenda. So that's why working with the girls at the karaoke bars is the perfect way to convey the message to migrant seafarers," Supannee said.

Aside from awareness about Aids, there are plenty more problems that need to be addressed.

Many migrant labourers don't get work permits because they are expensive and instead live illegally on the boats. Without a work permit, they are excluded from the healthcare system. That means they have to pay for HIV tests themselves.

"The migrant workers avoid hospitals because of the expense. And they are afraid of being arrested," said Supeecha. Not knowing if they are HIV-positive or not, the workers can carry the virus across the borders to their homelands and infect more people.

But what worries Supeecha the most is the sustainability of the preventative measures. Drawing from her own experience, Supeecha concluded: "Handing out condoms and educating people aren't enough. You have to solve the other complicating factors that surround the Aids issue as well to keep the crisis at bay."

Info for donations:

- Name of organisation: Raks Thai Foundation
- Telephone: 02-279-5306-7 ext 40
- Fax: 02-271-4467
- Bank information and account no:
- Siam Commercial Bank Plc /Aree Samphan Branch: 056-2-21065-4
- Thai Farmers Bank Plc / Phaholyothin Branch: 799-2-50785-8
- Asia Bank Plc / Anusaowaree Branch: 036-2-09293-4
- Bangkok Bank Plc / Soi Aree Branch: 127-4-05900-3