‘Have sympathy for us’: Aung San Suu Kyi embraced by migrant Rohingya workers during visit to Thailand
Democracy icon has been criticised for her lack of action to protect the ethnic minority, who are shunned in Myanmar.
In a demonstration of her popular appeal, Myanmar de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi received a rapturous welcome on Thursday as she presided over a town hall-type meeting with some of the huge population of migrant workers from her homeland who eke out a living in Thailand.
Suu Kyi met with Myanmar migrant workers in Samut Sakhon province near Bangkok, where she urged them to be honest with their employers and hosts in Thailand and to abide by the law. Suu Kyi likened them to guests of Thailand and urged them to talk with their employers to find solutions to any issues that may arise.
We hope she will pressure the Thai government to have sympathy for us
“When living together, it is normal that some little difficulties or problems may occur, but talking over them is the best solution,” Suu Kyi said.
Thailand is home to between two million and three million migrant workers from Myanmar, many of whom do back-breaking jobs most Thais are unwilling to do. Suu Kyi’s visit has prompted renewed calls for better protection for the workers, who are vulnerable to abuse, rights groups say.
“We hope she will pressure the Thai government to have sympathy for us,” said Ma Kout Shwe, a Myanmar steel worker in the crowd at the Talay Thai market in Mahachai, a fishing port just west of Bangkok, the capital.
Their enthusiasm undimmed by the rain, the crowd chanted “Mother Suu” after Suu Kyi, dressed in a traditional blue dress, met workers and responded to questions. In Mahachai, migrants man the fishing boats and work in seafood processing plants.
