BKK Post / October 25, 1997 THAI / LAOTIAN BORDER FM to discuss officers' fate with Laotian counterpart The fate of six Thai officials held in Laos will be discussed this weekend in private talks between Foreign Minister Prachuab Chaiyasarn and his Laotian counterpart Somsavat Lengsavad. Mr Somsavat will privately visit Udon Thani today and tomorrow as Mr Prachuab's guest to attend a robe presentation ceremony at a temple in Kumphawapi, before playing a round of golf. The negotiations between officials in Chiang Rai and Bokeo in northern Laos on the release of the six immigration police officials captured on October 7 have been fruitless. They were captured by the Laotian authorities while on board Laotian cargo ships fleeing inspection by Thai enforcement officials into Laotian territorial waters in the Mekong River. The vessels were suspected of transporting contraband downstream from southern China to Chiang Saen in Chiang Rai. Both sides appeared to settle the case on Wednesday when the two sides were close to a compromise. But the deadlock remained a day later with an insistence on 1.7 million baht compensation in talks between Chiang Rai district clerk Bovorn Rattanaprasit and Bokeo police chief Lt-Col Arlu Valeesee in Huayxay across the border from Chiang Saen. The money was for funeral rites of two Laotian crewmen who went missing and were feared drowned during the exchange of gunfire with Thai immigration officers on October 7, families of the dead victims, medical treatment for an injured crewman, the repair of damaged vessels, and valuables lost during the clash. Despite the three-week standoff, the Thai and Laotian governments have remained firm on non-interference, strongly supporting local officials in their efforts to defuse the problem. The Foreign Ministry yesterday reaffirmed the position by calling on Thai and Laotian officials to urgently resolve the deadlock through local channels. "The two governments are of the view that the case can be settled through effective local mechanisms and on the basis of mutual friendship and a close relationship between the two countries," it said. Relatives of the detainees in Chiang Rai yesterday called for government assistance to persuade Laos to lower the compensation money, saying that the amount was so high because they could collect only 300,000 baht. Jinda Pattanachan, wife of Mr Sompol, one of the six detainees, said any delay to the negotiations would put the lives of the detainees at risk, while Suphan Kawee, Thawee's mother, made an emotional plea for help in the release of her son. An Interior Ministry source said Laos could lower the figure to 1.5 million baht and had gave an assurance of immediate release of the six once it was paid. Apart from Mr Sompol and Mr Thawee, the other four officials detained in the northern Laotian province are Sukhet Vetchayanon, Decha Thiamphat, Manee Oosalayamanon, and Somchai Prangprempree. All but Mr Thawee are immigration police stationed in Chiang Saen district. Mr Thawee is a janitor at the immigration police office. BKK Post / October 25, 1997 US SWEATSHOPS 80 Thais and other victims to get $2m Seven Thai owners serving jail terms Los Angeles, Reuters A group of Thai and Latino immigrant workers whose virtual slavery in barricaded sweatshops shocked America and rocked the garment industry, won a settlement of more than $2 million on Thursday, their lawyer said. The workers, who were freed from their bondage in August 1995, in raids by state and federal agents, had been forced to work for up to 20 hours a day for less than $1 an hour and had not been allowed to leave their compounds, which were surrounded by high walls topped with barbed wire. Some of the 80 Thai and 70 Latino workers had been forced to work in those conditions for up to three years, authorities said. Julie Su, an attorney with the Asian Pacific American Legal Centre, who represented the workers, said four companies had agreed to pay $2 million to the 80 Thais and 70 Latinos and that a fifth company had also agreed to pay an undisclosed sum. The $2-million payment, to settle a federal lawsuit brought by the workers, was agreed by BUM International, LF Sportswear, Mervyn's and Montgomery Ward. Hub Distributors/Miller's Outpost agreed to pay an undisclosed sum, Ms Su said. She said the settlement was approved by US District Judge Audrey Collins. Representatives of the companies were not immediately available for comment but Ms Su said as part of the agreement, the companies denied any knowledge of the workers' pay or conditions and also denied knowledge of, or contact with, the sweatshops or their owners. Seven people, all Thai nationals and mostly family members, who owned the sweatshops, are currently serving prison terms of 3 to 7 years after pleading guilty last year to federal charges of conspiracy, indentured servitude and harbouring illegal aliens. The discovery of the sweatshop in suburban El Monte created a national uproar and prompted a government probe into conditions in the garment industry. The Thais have already received $1 million in back pay, $800,000 of that coming from money seized by federal agents from the sweatshop. The other $200,000 was paid by a number of companies to avoid federal charges. The civil lawsuit which resulted in Thursday's settlement had originally asked for $5 million in back wages and $2 million in interest, but Ms Su said she was satisfied with the result. "This is a victory not only for these workers but for all workers who suffer in sweatshops. And it sends the garment industry a message," she said. She said the Thai workers, who had entered the country illegally and were detained briefly by the Immigration and Naturalisation Service after being freed from the sweatshop, had all been granted work permits and were now employed in respectable factories. Ms Su said she believed the Latino workers were also still in the country. The money would be distributed to the workers in proportion to the amount of time they had toiled in the sweatshops, Ms Su said.