THE TEN witnesses in the case against the six people charged over the Burmese container tragedy are to be allowed back to Burma on June 8.
Held in custody since the deaths of 54 people who suffocated in a container truck on the way to Phuket, the deal for the return of the 10 to Burma was negotiated by the Governor of Ranong, Kanchana Pakeemun, in talks with Burmese officials on June 6.
''The arrangement is for the 10 to be returned without mistreatment or punishment,'' the Governor told Phuketwan. ''They have to be treated properly.''
Those held in Ranong since the nightmare ride on April 9 were two women, four men and four children, three girls, two aged 17 and one 13, and one boy aged 15.
Another 46 survivors were delivered to the Burmese authorities in Victoria Point, across from Ranong, on May 19.
The 10 survivors were held as ''victims and witnesses'' pending the investigation of the case against the six people charged over the tragedy.
No date has been set for the case to proceed. It is understood the Burmese will not be required to attend the hearing.
All 52 adult survivors were kept in the same jail as the accused before being transferred to the Ranong detention centre, where the 14 children in the group were already being held.
The 120 Burmese who boarded the truck were legally in Ranong, on the border with Burma, but became illegal when they left Ranong, secreted in the air-tight container, to seek work and a better life on Phuket.
The six charged include the owner of the container truck, the driver, his co-driver, the captain of a boat that allegedly carried the Burmese, and a cook.
Latest Reports:
Double Tragedy as Hell Trip Survivors Head Home
Phuket Bid to make 20,000 Extra Burmese Legal
Dream of Phuket: Hell Trip Survivors Left in Limbo
Crackdown on Burmese as Arrest Numbers Grow
54 Burmese Found Dead in Phuket Bound Container
Deathship Burmese Muslims Forced Back to Border
Andaman Island Sites Readied for Boat People
Burmese Detention Island Cause for Concern
Water and Fire: A Tsunami Reunion
Held in custody since the deaths of 54 people who suffocated in a container truck on the way to Phuket, the deal for the return of the 10 to Burma was negotiated by the Governor of Ranong, Kanchana Pakeemun, in talks with Burmese officials on June 6.
''The arrangement is for the 10 to be returned without mistreatment or punishment,'' the Governor told Phuketwan. ''They have to be treated properly.''
Those held in Ranong since the nightmare ride on April 9 were two women, four men and four children, three girls, two aged 17 and one 13, and one boy aged 15.
Another 46 survivors were delivered to the Burmese authorities in Victoria Point, across from Ranong, on May 19.
The 10 survivors were held as ''victims and witnesses'' pending the investigation of the case against the six people charged over the tragedy.
No date has been set for the case to proceed. It is understood the Burmese will not be required to attend the hearing.
All 52 adult survivors were kept in the same jail as the accused before being transferred to the Ranong detention centre, where the 14 children in the group were already being held.
The 120 Burmese who boarded the truck were legally in Ranong, on the border with Burma, but became illegal when they left Ranong, secreted in the air-tight container, to seek work and a better life on Phuket.
The six charged include the owner of the container truck, the driver, his co-driver, the captain of a boat that allegedly carried the Burmese, and a cook.
Latest Reports:
Double Tragedy as Hell Trip Survivors Head Home
Phuket Bid to make 20,000 Extra Burmese Legal
Dream of Phuket: Hell Trip Survivors Left in Limbo
Crackdown on Burmese as Arrest Numbers Grow
54 Burmese Found Dead in Phuket Bound Container
Deathship Burmese Muslims Forced Back to Border
Andaman Island Sites Readied for Boat People
Burmese Detention Island Cause for Concern
Water and Fire: A Tsunami Reunion
