Burmese migrants working in Thailand are usually paid low wages, work long hours and face arbitrary arrest and deportation, Amnesty International said in a report published on Wednesday.

The document by the London-based human rights group reports a lack of basic workers’ rights, abuse and exploitation of Burmese migrant workers by traffickers, Thai employers and the Thai authorities. It is based on 115 interviews with Burmese migrants in seven locations in Thailand. 

It [Thai government] should protect migrant workers from mistreatment, harassment and intimidation by employers, police and local officials… — Catherine Baber, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Asia

One Burmese migrant was quoted as saying, “The Thai people regard us as garbage—they don’t see the Burmese as helping the economy. We take jobs which they won’t do.