workers held in prisons express their suffering

Yangon/Myanmar – A large number of Myanmar factory workers in Guangyuan, China, near the Myanmar border, suffer from harsh working conditions and inhuman treatment by Chinese employers.

Beijing authorities arrested a large number of them for a long time in Chinese prisons, denying them access to their families.

A number of those released confirmed that they had been ill-treated in prisons and that the authorities had confiscated some of their personal belongings.

Speaking to A24 News Agency, one of China’s detention victims explained the arrest circumstances while he was on a vacation to Guangyuan.

“We got two off days, so we visit Guangyuan City as a vacation. We were arrested on our way back home from Guangyuan, arrested before arriving at Guangyuan Bridge gate. This is how we were arrested. We had been in custody for 3 months,” said former prisoner fake- named Ma Phyu.

“They restrain all our belonging, 1 tical gold, 3 lakhs MMK (Myanmar kyats), and also one mobile phone. They didn’t give back all my belonging when I was released from their custody. They only return my mobile phone. So I back to here Myanmar without my belonging except for my mobile phone. They scout me to the border,” he added.

Meanwhile, another victim told the agency how they were deceived by false advertisements while seeking a job in China.

“They announced a vacancy like we could get a job in China and have to work in a company and factory. But in actuality, it’s not the same like they announced. We have to work in fields cultivated with crops. And the workshop, how do I say, a workshop where they raise feedable animals like pigs, animal husbandry workshop.”

“They put us in that kind of workshop and told us to feed their animal. And also the working hour is not the same as the vacancy announcement. And also they said they will provide all accommodation but when we arrived there, they feed us with no humanitarian respect. And one more thing is they look down on us like they treated us differently with their only people.”