Burmese Arrested Among Redshirts

Thirteen Burmese migrant workers are among the hundreds of anti-government Redshirt protesters currently being held by the Thai authorities, according to a Burmese advocacy group in Thailand. The group, the Thai Action Committee for Democracy in Burma (TACDB), confirmed that 13 of the 422 detained Redshirt protesters identified by the Thai government earlier this week are Burmese nationals.

The Burmese detainees, all of whom are men, remain in police custody. Ten are being held at a police station in Pathum Thani Province, two others are in another province and the remaining one is in a special detention center, according to TACDB.

“We don't know if they were arrested during the protests or because they violated the recent nighttime curfew,” said Myint Wai, an official from TACDB, adding that his group is now trying to provide legal counsel to the detained Burmese. (...)

"Burmese Among Redshirt Detainees", The Irrawaddy, June 12, 2010

I have blogged about this issue of migrant workers in the redshirt protests back in April. One of the points was that Thai employers and entrepreneurs would bring migrant workers to join the protests. Whether these Burmese detainees were anyhow affiliated with the anti-government protests or were just at the wrong place at the wrong time remains to be seen.