Greater Mekong Infrastructure
Improved Transportation Enhances Migration, Human Trafficking
Improvements in transportation links in the Greater Mekong Region, especially in Laos, have enhanced opportunities for labour migration and for human trafficking.
Route 3 runs from the Chinese border with Laos through the town of Luang Nam Tha and subsequently down to the border with Thailand. The route is one of several being sponsored by the Asian Development Bank which are aimed at improving economic conditions in the region by improving trade and investment opportunities. Those benefits are likely to arrive some time in the future; however, in the present, most of the advantages are accruing in unexpected parts of the economy.
First, thousands of workers have moved from China to help build the roads, jut as they have done in the case of Chinese government-funded roads and infrastructure projects in Myanmar (Burma). After completing their work stint, the workers find life may be better in their new homes and, therefore, resolve to remain where they are and start their own business. Some open shops or restaurants or look into import-export possibilities. Most are unregistered or remain illegally. The lack of employment opportunities in China – especially for those without specialized skills – makes overseas opportunities increasingly attractive. Others come from Vietnam, where the high population density makes for a crowded and competitive employment market. Many people are persuaded of the better opportunities available elsewhere.
Second, the better transportation possibilities make it easier for human trafficking groups to operate. With a pool of people in several countries willing to take their chances over the borders, it is easy to convince sometimes vulnerable and gullible people that what is being offered to them is better than the conditions really are. The result is that people, very often girls or young women, find themselves being sold to migration networks and then forced into a form of bonded labour. This means they have a debt to their employer owner who has borne the cost for moving them across the border, as well as other expenses. The workers repay the employers from what salaries they are given, which often takes years to achieve. In the meantime, the workers are required to work in some of the 3D industries – Dirty, Dangerous and Disgusting – such as fishing, rubber plantation work or, for women, the sex industry.
Increasingly, the awareness among the poor Laotian people of the better quality of life that people enjoy across the border in Thailand provokes more and more to seek their fortunes there. Even if they end up on a construction site facing dangerous conditions and being paid below Thai minimum wage rates, they still earn far more than they could do at home. The desire for consumer goods and the happy life is very powerful.
