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  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: Chinese dragon dancers get off a fishing boat during the procession for the City Pillar Shrine in Mahachai. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai019.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: Men carry the City Pillar Shrine away from a boat on the Tha Chin (Chin River) during the procession for the shrine in Mahachai. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai024.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:  Attendants of the City Pillar Shrine on a fishing boat goes up the Tha Chin (Chin River) during the City Pillar Shrine procession in Mahachai. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai023.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: People get off a fishing boat during the procession for the City Pillar Shrine in Mahachai. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai017.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: People pray as the City Pillar Shrine is brought to a waiting fishing boat in Mahachai. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai011.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: People kneel in the street and pray during the City Pillar Shrine Procession in Mahachai. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai037.jpg
  • 24 MARCH 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: People wait on their motorcycles to board a ferry to cross the Tha Chin river in Mahachai (also called Samut Sakhon) in Samut Sakhon province, Thailand.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    Mahahai0325002.jpg
  • 24 MARCH 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:    A doorway to a Chinese temple in Mahachai, also called Samut Sakhon, in Samut Sakhon province, Thailand.  PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    Mahahai0325001.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: Men carry offerings for City Pillar off a fishing boat during the procession in Mahachai. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.  PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai047.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:  School children pray during the City Pillar Shrine Procession in Mahachai. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai032.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: The City Pillar Shrine on a fishing boat on the Tha Chin (Chin River) in Mahachai. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai014.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: People pray as the City Pillar Shrine is brought to a waiting fishing boat in Mahachai. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai007.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:  A woman prays at the City Pillar Shrine in Mahachai. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.  PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai001.jpg
  • 30 APRIL 2013 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:     30 APRIL 2013 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:    A Burmese crewman unloads a Thai fishing trawler in Mahachai, Samut Sakhon province, Thailand. The Thai fishing industry is heavily reliant on Burmese and Cambodian migrants. Burmese migrants crew many of the fishing boats that sail out of Samut Sakhon and staff many of the fish processing plants in Samut Sakhon, about 45 miles south of Bangkok. Migrants pay as much $700 (US) each to be smuggled from the Burmese border to Samut Sakhon for jobs that pay less than $5.00 (US) per day. There have also been reports that some Burmese workers are abused and held in slavery like conditions in the Thai fishing industry.        PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ       PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseWorkers0430008.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:  Prayer flags are carried through Mahachai during the City Pillar Shrine procession in Mahachai. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.  PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai044.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: Men carry the City Pillar Shrine through town during the procession for the shrine in Mahachai. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai030.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: A man getting off a fishing boat carries a portrait of Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, the Crown Princess of Thailand, at the City Pillar Shrine procession in Mahachai. People get off a fishing boat during the procession for the City Pillar Shrine in Mahachai. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai022.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: Community leaders in Mahachai pray before taking the City Pillar Shrine out for the procession through town. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai003.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:  A toy vendor at the City Pillar Shrine procession in Mahachai. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.  PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai043.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: People kneel in the street and pray during the City Pillar Shrine Procession in Mahachai. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai036.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: Men carry the City Pillar Shrine through town during the procession for the shrine in Mahachai. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai031.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: People pray as the City Pillar Shrine is carried through town in Mahachai. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai026.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: The fishing boat carrying the City Pillar Shrine up the Tha Chin (Chin River) in Mahachai. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai015.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: People pray as the City Pillar Shrine is brought to a waiting fishing boat in Mahachai. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai008.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: An attendant carries a Chinese lantern in the City Pillar Shrine Procession in Mahachai. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai002.jpg
  • 11 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:  A Burmese migrant worker at the Samut Sakhon shrimp market in Mahachai cleans and sorts squid. Labor activists say there are about 200,000 migrant workers from Myanmar (Burma) employed in the fishing and seafood industry in Mahachai, a fishing port about an hour southwest of Bangkok. Since 2014, Thailand has been a Tier 3 country on the US Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report (TIPS). Tier 3 is the worst ranking, being a Tier 3 country on the list can lead to sanctions. Tier 3 countries are "Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so." After being placed on the Tier 3 list, the Thai government cracked down on human trafficking and has taken steps to improve its ranking on the list. The 2015 TIPS report should be released in about two weeks. Thailand is hoping that its efforts will get it removed from Tier 3 status and promoted to Tier 2 status.       PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrantWorkers061115037.jpg
  • 11 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:   Burmese migrant workers eat their lunch in the bottom floor of a tenement building used for migrant housing in Mahachai. Labor activists say there are about 200,000 migrant workers from Myanmar (Burma) employed in the fishing and seafood industry in Mahachai, a fishing port about an hour southwest of Bangkok. Since 2014, Thailand has been a Tier 3 country on the US Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report (TIPS). Tier 3 is the worst ranking, being a Tier 3 country on the list can lead to sanctions. Tier 3 countries are "Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so." After being placed on the Tier 3 list, the Thai government cracked down on human trafficking and has taken steps to improve its ranking on the list. The 2015 TIPS report should be released in about two weeks. Thailand is hoping that its efforts will get it removed from Tier 3 status and promoted to Tier 2 status.      PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrantWorkers061115031.jpg
  • 11 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: Burmese migrant workers at the Talay Thai market in Mahachai clean squid. Labor activists say there are about 200,000 migrant workers from Myanmar (Burma) employed in the fishing and seafood industry in Mahachai, a fishing port about an hour southwest of Bangkok. Since 2014, Thailand has been a Tier 3 country on the US Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report (TIPS). Tier 3 is the worst ranking, being a Tier 3 country on the list can lead to sanctions. Tier 3 countries are "Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so." After being placed on the Tier 3 list, the Thai government cracked down on human trafficking and has taken steps to improve its ranking on the list. The 2015 TIPS report should be released in about two weeks. Thailand is hoping that its efforts will get it removed from Tier 3 status and promoted to Tier 2 status.        PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrantWorkers061115004.jpg
  • 11 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:  A Burmese migrant laborer relaxes during a break at the Talay Thai market in Mahachai. Labor activists say there are about 200,000 migrant workers from Myanmar (Burma) employed in the fishing and seafood industry in Mahachai, a fishing port about an hour southwest of Bangkok. Since 2014, Thailand has been a Tier 3 country on the US Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report (TIPS). Tier 3 is the worst ranking, being a Tier 3 country on the list can lead to sanctions. Tier 3 countries are "Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so." After being placed on the Tier 3 list, the Thai government cracked down on human trafficking and has taken steps to improve its ranking on the list. The 2015 TIPS report should be released in about two weeks. Thailand is hoping that its efforts will get it removed from Tier 3 status and promoted to Tier 2 status.       PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrantWorkers061115003.jpg
  • 01 OCTOBER 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:  Thai fishing trawlers in port in Mahachai, one of Thailand's largest fishing ports. Thailand's fishing industry had been facing an October deadline from the European Union to address issues related to overfishing and labor practices. Failure to adequately address the issues could have resulted in a ban on Thai exports to the EU. In September Thai officials announced that they had secured an extension of the deadline. Officials did not say how much extra time they had to meet the EU goals. Thailand's overall annual exports to the EU are between 23.2 billion Thai Baht and 30 billion Thai Baht (US$645 million to US $841 million). Thailand's total fish exports were worth about 110 billion baht in 2014.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    FishingPort035.jpg
  • 01 OCTOBER 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:  A man steers aThai fishing trawler up the Tha Chin River in Mahachai, one of Thailand's largest fishing ports. Thailand's fishing industry had been facing an October deadline from the European Union to address issues related to overfishing and labor practices. Failure to adequately address the issues could have resulted in a ban on Thai exports to the EU. In September Thai officials announced that they had secured an extension of the deadline. Officials did not say how much extra time they had to meet the EU goals. Thailand's overall annual exports to the EU are between 23.2 billion Thai Baht and 30 billion Thai Baht (US$645 million to US $841 million). Thailand's total fish exports were worth about 110 billion baht in 2014.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    FishingPort025.jpg
  • 01 OCTOBER 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: Thai fishing trawlers in port in Mahachai, one of Thailand's largest fishing ports. Thailand's fishing industry had been facing an October deadline from the European Union to address issues related to overfishing and labor practices. Failure to adequately address the issues could have resulted in a ban on Thai exports to the EU. In September Thai officials announced that they had secured an extension of the deadline. Officials did not say how much extra time they had to meet the EU goals. Thailand's overall annual exports to the EU are between 23.2 billion Thai Baht and 30 billion Thai Baht (US$645 million to US $841 million). Thailand's total fish exports were worth about 110 billion baht in 2014.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    FishingPort001.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: People kneel in the street and pray during the City Pillar Shrine Procession in Mahachai. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai038.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:  School children pray during the City Pillar Shrine Procession in Mahachai. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai033.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: People pray as the City Pillar Shrine is carried through town in Mahachai. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai028.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: The fishing boat carrying the City Pillar Shrine up the Tha Chin (Chin River) in Mahachai. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai013.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: Men carry the City Pillar Shrine to the Tha Chin (Chin River) during the procession for the shrine in Mahachai. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai010.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:  A woman prays at the City Pillar Shrine in Mahachai. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.  PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai006.jpg
  • 11 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:  Burmese migrant workers at the Talay Thai market in Mahachai clean squid. Labor activists say there are about 200,000 migrant workers from Myanmar (Burma) employed in the fishing and seafood industry in Mahachai, a fishing port about an hour southwest of Bangkok. Since 2014, Thailand has been a Tier 3 country on the US Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report (TIPS). Tier 3 is the worst ranking, being a Tier 3 country on the list can lead to sanctions. Tier 3 countries are "Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so." After being placed on the Tier 3 list, the Thai government cracked down on human trafficking and has taken steps to improve its ranking on the list. The 2015 TIPS report should be released in about two weeks. Thailand is hoping that its efforts will get it removed from Tier 3 status and promoted to Tier 2 status.       PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrantWorkers061115008.jpg
  • 11 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: A Burmese migrant laborer at the Talay Thai market in Mahachai cleans squid. Labor activists say there are about 200,000 migrant workers from Myanmar (Burma) employed in the fishing and seafood industry in Mahachai, a fishing port about an hour southwest of Bangkok. Since 2014, Thailand has been a Tier 3 country on the US Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report (TIPS). Tier 3 is the worst ranking, being a Tier 3 country on the list can lead to sanctions. Tier 3 countries are "Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so." After being placed on the Tier 3 list, the Thai government cracked down on human trafficking and has taken steps to improve its ranking on the list. The 2015 TIPS report should be released in about two weeks. Thailand is hoping that its efforts will get it removed from Tier 3 status and promoted to Tier 2 status.        PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrantWorkers061115001.jpg
  • 30 APRIL 2013 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:   Passengers on a truck converted to use as a bus in Mahachai, Samut Sakhon province, Thailand. Pickup trucks are frequently converted to use as buses by the installation of bench seats in the back. Called songthaews, they are common sight in Thailand. Conversion of large trucks is less common but happens in large towns with a large population of factory workers. Samut Sakhon has a very large population of Burmese migrant workers who work in the fishing industry and electronics factories in town.         PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseWorkers0430074.jpg
  • 30 APRIL 2013 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:   Burmese women work in a shrimp processing plant in the Thai fishing port of Mahachai. The Thai fishing industry is heavily reliant on Burmese and Cambodian migrants. Burmese migrants crew many of the fishing boats that sail out of Samut Sakhon and staff many of the fish processing plants in Samut Sakhon, about 45 miles south of Bangkok. Migrants pay as much $700 (US) each to be smuggled from the Burmese border to Samut Sakhon for jobs that pay less than $5.00 (US) per day. There have also been reports that some Burmese workers are abused and held in slavery like conditions in the Thai fishing industry.         PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseWorkers0430056.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: People pray as the City Pillar Shrine is brought to a waiting fishing boat in Mahachai. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai009.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: Men carry offerings for City Pillar off a fishing boat during the procession in Mahachai. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.  PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai046.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:  Thai women in traditional Thai dress walk through the Mahachai during the City Pillar Shrine procession. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.  PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai042.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:  A woman sits at the altar she built for the City Pillar Shrine while she waits for the procession to pass her in Mahachai. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.  PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai041.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: Chinese dragon dancers get off a fishing boat during the procession for the City Pillar Shrine in Mahachai. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai018.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:  Attendants of the City Pillar Shrine on a fishing boat goes up the Tha Chin (Chin River) during the City Pillar Shrine procession in Mahachai. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai016.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: The fishing boat carrying the City Pillar Shrine up the Tha Chin (Chin River) in Mahachai. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai012.jpg
  • 11 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:  Burmese migrant workers in Mahachai sell ice blocks to shrimp packers. Labor activists say there are about 200,000 migrant workers from Myanmar (Burma) employed in the fishing and seafood industry in Mahachai, a fishing port about an hour southwest of Bangkok. Since 2014, Thailand has been a Tier 3 country on the US Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report (TIPS). Tier 3 is the worst ranking, being a Tier 3 country on the list can lead to sanctions. Tier 3 countries are "Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so." After being placed on the Tier 3 list, the Thai government cracked down on human trafficking and has taken steps to improve its ranking on the list. The 2015 TIPS report should be released in about two weeks. Thailand is hoping that its efforts will get it removed from Tier 3 status and promoted to Tier 2 status.       PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrantWorkers061115040.jpg
  • 30 APRIL 2013 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:     30 APRIL 2013 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:    A Burmese crewman unloads a Thai fishing trawler in Mahachai, Samut Sakhon province, Thailand. The Thai fishing industry is heavily reliant on Burmese and Cambodian migrants. Burmese migrants crew many of the fishing boats that sail out of Samut Sakhon and staff many of the fish processing plants in Samut Sakhon, about 45 miles south of Bangkok. Migrants pay as much $700 (US) each to be smuggled from the Burmese border to Samut Sakhon for jobs that pay less than $5.00 (US) per day. There have also been reports that some Burmese workers are abused and held in slavery like conditions in the Thai fishing industry.        PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ       PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseWorkers0430009.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:  School children pray during the City Pillar Shrine Procession in Mahachai. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai035.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: People get off a fishing boat during the procession for the City Pillar Shrine in Mahachai. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai020.jpg
  • 11 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:  Burmese migrant workers at the Talay Thai market in Mahachai clean squid. Labor activists say there are about 200,000 migrant workers from Myanmar (Burma) employed in the fishing and seafood industry in Mahachai, a fishing port about an hour southwest of Bangkok. Since 2014, Thailand has been a Tier 3 country on the US Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report (TIPS). Tier 3 is the worst ranking, being a Tier 3 country on the list can lead to sanctions. Tier 3 countries are "Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so." After being placed on the Tier 3 list, the Thai government cracked down on human trafficking and has taken steps to improve its ranking on the list. The 2015 TIPS report should be released in about two weeks. Thailand is hoping that its efforts will get it removed from Tier 3 status and promoted to Tier 2 status.       PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrantWorkers061115009.jpg
  • 30 APRIL 2013 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:  An elderly Thai man on a truck converted to use as a bus in Mahachai, Samut Sakhon province, Thailand. Pickup trucks are frequently converted to use as buses by the installation of bench seats in the back. Called songthaews, they are common sight in Thailand. Conversion of large trucks is less common but happens in large towns with a large population of factory workers. Samut Sakhon has a very large population of Burmese migrant workers who work in the fishing industry and electronics factories in town.         PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseWorkers0430072.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: People get off a fishing boat during the procession for the City Pillar Shrine in Mahachai. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai045.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: Chinese dragon dancers perform during the City Pillar Shrine procession in Mahachai. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai039.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: People pray as the City Pillar Shrine is carried through town in Mahachai. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai027.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:  Men bang prayer gongs at the beginning of the procession for the City Pillar Shrine in Mahachai. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.  PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai004.jpg
  • 11 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: A detail of a Burmese migrant worker at the Talay Thai market in Mahachai cleaning squid. Labor activists say there are about 200,000 migrant workers from Myanmar (Burma) employed in the fishing and seafood industry in Mahachai, a fishing port about an hour southwest of Bangkok. Since 2014, Thailand has been a Tier 3 country on the US Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report (TIPS). Tier 3 is the worst ranking, being a Tier 3 country on the list can lead to sanctions. Tier 3 countries are "Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so." After being placed on the Tier 3 list, the Thai government cracked down on human trafficking and has taken steps to improve its ranking on the list. The 2015 TIPS report should be released in about two weeks. Thailand is hoping that its efforts will get it removed from Tier 3 status and promoted to Tier 2 status.        PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrantWorkers061115006.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: Chinese dragon dancers perform during the City Pillar Shrine procession in Mahachai. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai040.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: People pray as the City Pillar Shrine is carried through town in Mahachai. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai029.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: Men carry the City Pillar Shrine away from a boat on the Tha Chin (Chin River) during the procession for the shrine in Mahachai. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai025.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: A man getting off a fishing boat carries a portrait of Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, the Crown Princess of Thailand, at the City Pillar Shrine procession in Mahachai. People get off a fishing boat during the procession for the City Pillar Shrine in Mahachai. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai021.jpg
  • 11 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:  Burmese migrant workers who work in a florist shop package flowers in Samut Sakhon. Labor activists say there are about 200,000 migrant workers from Myanmar (Burma) employed in the fishing and seafood industry in Mahachai, a fishing port about an hour southwest of Bangkok. Since 2014, Thailand has been a Tier 3 country on the US Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report (TIPS). Tier 3 is the worst ranking, being a Tier 3 country on the list can lead to sanctions. Tier 3 countries are "Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so." After being placed on the Tier 3 list, the Thai government cracked down on human trafficking and has taken steps to improve its ranking on the list. The 2015 TIPS report should be released in about two weeks. Thailand is hoping that its efforts will get it removed from Tier 3 status and promoted to Tier 2 status.       PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrantWorkers061115024.jpg
  • 11 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: A man prays in the doorway of a Chinese shrine in the fishing port of Mahachai, Thailand. PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MahachaiCityPillarShrine101.jpg
  • 11 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: Women who live in a tenement building used for Burmese migrant housing relax in the common space in the building. Labor activists say there are about 200,000 migrant workers from Myanmar (Burma) employed in the fishing and seafood industry in Mahachai, a fishing port about an hour southwest of Bangkok. Since 2014, Thailand has been a Tier 3 country on the US Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report (TIPS). Tier 3 is the worst ranking, being a Tier 3 country on the list can lead to sanctions. Tier 3 countries are "Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so." After being placed on the Tier 3 list, the Thai government cracked down on human trafficking and has taken steps to improve its ranking on the list. The 2015 TIPS report should be released in about two weeks. Thailand is hoping that its efforts will get it removed from Tier 3 status and promoted to Tier 2 status.        PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrantWorkers061115038.jpg
  • 11 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:  A Burmese migrant worker on the balcony of his apartment in Mahachai. Labor activists say there are about 200,000 migrant workers from Myanmar (Burma) employed in the fishing and seafood industry in Mahachai, a fishing port about an hour southwest of Bangkok. Since 2014, Thailand has been a Tier 3 country on the US Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report (TIPS). Tier 3 is the worst ranking, being a Tier 3 country on the list can lead to sanctions. Tier 3 countries are "Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so." After being placed on the Tier 3 list, the Thai government cracked down on human trafficking and has taken steps to improve its ranking on the list. The 2015 TIPS report should be released in about two weeks. Thailand is hoping that its efforts will get it removed from Tier 3 status and promoted to Tier 2 status.       PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrantWorkers061115030.jpg
  • 11 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: A Burmese migrant worker eats his lunch during a break at the Samut Sakhon shrimp market in Mahachai. Labor activists say there are about 200,000 migrant workers from Myanmar (Burma) employed in the fishing and seafood industry in Mahachai, a fishing port about an hour southwest of Bangkok. Since 2014, Thailand has been a Tier 3 country on the US Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report (TIPS). Tier 3 is the worst ranking, being a Tier 3 country on the list can lead to sanctions. Tier 3 countries are "Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so." After being placed on the Tier 3 list, the Thai government cracked down on human trafficking and has taken steps to improve its ranking on the list. The 2015 TIPS report should be released in about two weeks. Thailand is hoping that its efforts will get it removed from Tier 3 status and promoted to Tier 2 status.        PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrantWorkers061115028.jpg
  • 01 OCTOBER 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: Thai fishing trawlers in port in Mahachai, one of Thailand's largest fishing ports. Thailand's fishing industry had been facing an October deadline from the European Union to address issues related to overfishing and labor practices. Failure to adequately address the issues could have resulted in a ban on Thai exports to the EU. In September Thai officials announced that they had secured an extension of the deadline. Officials did not say how much extra time they had to meet the EU goals. Thailand's overall annual exports to the EU are between 23.2 billion Thai Baht and 30 billion Thai Baht (US$645 million to US $841 million). Thailand's total fish exports were worth about 110 billion baht in 2014.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    FishingPort021.jpg
  • 01 OCTOBER 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: Thai fishing trawlers in port in Mahachai, one of Thailand's largest fishing ports. Thailand's fishing industry had been facing an October deadline from the European Union to address issues related to overfishing and labor practices. Failure to adequately address the issues could have resulted in a ban on Thai exports to the EU. In September Thai officials announced that they had secured an extension of the deadline. Officials did not say how much extra time they had to meet the EU goals. Thailand's overall annual exports to the EU are between 23.2 billion Thai Baht and 30 billion Thai Baht (US$645 million to US $841 million). Thailand's total fish exports were worth about 110 billion baht in 2014.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    FishingPort002.jpg
  • 11 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: Burmese migrant workers at the Samut Sakhon shrimp market in Mahachai clean squid. Labor activists say there are about 200,000 migrant workers from Myanmar (Burma) employed in the fishing and seafood industry in Mahachai, a fishing port about an hour southwest of Bangkok. Since 2014, Thailand has been a Tier 3 country on the US Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report (TIPS). Tier 3 is the worst ranking, being a Tier 3 country on the list can lead to sanctions. Tier 3 countries are "Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so." After being placed on the Tier 3 list, the Thai government cracked down on human trafficking and has taken steps to improve its ranking on the list. The 2015 TIPS report should be released in about two weeks. Thailand is hoping that its efforts will get it removed from Tier 3 status and promoted to Tier 2 status.        PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrantWorkers061115026.jpg
  • 11 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: A detail of a Burmese migrant worker at the Talay Thai market in Mahachai cleaning squid. Labor activists say there are about 200,000 migrant workers from Myanmar (Burma) employed in the fishing and seafood industry in Mahachai, a fishing port about an hour southwest of Bangkok. Since 2014, Thailand has been a Tier 3 country on the US Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report (TIPS). Tier 3 is the worst ranking, being a Tier 3 country on the list can lead to sanctions. Tier 3 countries are "Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so." After being placed on the Tier 3 list, the Thai government cracked down on human trafficking and has taken steps to improve its ranking on the list. The 2015 TIPS report should be released in about two weeks. Thailand is hoping that its efforts will get it removed from Tier 3 status and promoted to Tier 2 status.        PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrantWorkers061115005.jpg
  • 30 APRIL 2013 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:    Unemployed Burmese men who were lured to Thailand with the promise of jobs relax in a Burmese tea shop in Mahachai, Samut Sakhon province, Thailand. The Thai fishing industry is heavily reliant on Burmese and Cambodian migrants. Burmese migrants crew many of the fishing boats that sail out of Samut Sakhon and staff many of the fish processing plants in Samut Sakhon, about 45 miles south of Bangkok. Migrants pay as much $700 (US) each to be smuggled from the Burmese border to Samut Sakhon for jobs that pay less than $5.00 (US) per day. There have also been reports that some Burmese workers are abused and held in slavery like conditions in the Thai fishing industry.        PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseWorkers0430037.jpg
  • 30 APRIL 2013 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:   A Burmese worker with a pattern of thanaka powder on his face in the Thai fishing industry in port in Mahachai, Samut Sakhon province, Thailand. The Thai fishing industry is heavily reliant on Burmese and Cambodian migrants. Burmese migrants crew many of the fishing boats that sail out of Samut Sakhon and staff many of the fish processing plants in Samut Sakhon, about 45 miles south of Bangkok. Migrants pay as much $700 (US) each to be smuggled from the Burmese border to Samut Sakhon for jobs that pay less than $5.00 (US) per day. There have also been reports that some Burmese workers are abused and held in slavery like conditions in the Thai fishing industry.         PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseWorkers0430011.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:  School children pray during the City Pillar Shrine Procession in Mahachai. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai034.jpg
  • 23 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:  Men bang prayer gongs at the beginning of the procession for the City Pillar Shrine in Mahachai. The Chaopho Lak Mueang Procession (City Pillar Shrine Procession) is a religious festival that takes place in June in front of city hall in Mahachai. The "Chaopho Lak Mueang" is  placed on a fishing boat and taken across the Tha Chin River from Talat Maha Chai to Tha Chalom in the area of Wat Suwannaram and then paraded through the community before returning to the temple in Mahachai.  PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityPillarShrineMahachai005.jpg
  • 11 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:   Burmese migrant workers eat their lunch in the bottom floor of a tenement building used for migrant housing in Mahachai. Labor activists say there are about 200,000 migrant workers from Myanmar (Burma) employed in the fishing and seafood industry in Mahachai, a fishing port about an hour southwest of Bangkok. Since 2014, Thailand has been a Tier 3 country on the US Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report (TIPS). Tier 3 is the worst ranking, being a Tier 3 country on the list can lead to sanctions. Tier 3 countries are "Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so." After being placed on the Tier 3 list, the Thai government cracked down on human trafficking and has taken steps to improve its ranking on the list. The 2015 TIPS report should be released in about two weeks. Thailand is hoping that its efforts will get it removed from Tier 3 status and promoted to Tier 2 status.      PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrantWorkers061115032.jpg
  • 11 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: Burmese migrant workers at the Samut Sakhon shrimp market in Mahachai clean squid. Labor activists say there are about 200,000 migrant workers from Myanmar (Burma) employed in the fishing and seafood industry in Mahachai, a fishing port about an hour southwest of Bangkok. Since 2014, Thailand has been a Tier 3 country on the US Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report (TIPS). Tier 3 is the worst ranking, being a Tier 3 country on the list can lead to sanctions. Tier 3 countries are "Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so." After being placed on the Tier 3 list, the Thai government cracked down on human trafficking and has taken steps to improve its ranking on the list. The 2015 TIPS report should be released in about two weeks. Thailand is hoping that its efforts will get it removed from Tier 3 status and promoted to Tier 2 status.        PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrantWorkers061115027.jpg
  • 11 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: A Burmese migrant laborer at the Talay Thai market in Mahachai cleans squid. Labor activists say there are about 200,000 migrant workers from Myanmar (Burma) employed in the fishing and seafood industry in Mahachai, a fishing port about an hour southwest of Bangkok. Since 2014, Thailand has been a Tier 3 country on the US Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report (TIPS). Tier 3 is the worst ranking, being a Tier 3 country on the list can lead to sanctions. Tier 3 countries are "Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so." After being placed on the Tier 3 list, the Thai government cracked down on human trafficking and has taken steps to improve its ranking on the list. The 2015 TIPS report should be released in about two weeks. Thailand is hoping that its efforts will get it removed from Tier 3 status and promoted to Tier 2 status.        PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrantWorkers061115002.jpg
  • 24 MARCH 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: People wait on their motorcycles to board a ferry to cross the Tha Chin river in Mahachai (also called Samut Sakhon) in Samut Sakhon province, Thailand.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    Mahahai0325003.jpg
  • 30 APRIL 2013 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:  An elderly Thai man on a truck converted to use as a bus in Mahachai, Samut Sakhon province, Thailand. Pickup trucks are frequently converted to use as buses by the installation of bench seats in the back. Called songthaews, they are common sight in Thailand. Conversion of large trucks is less common but happens in large towns with a large population of factory workers. Samut Sakhon has a very large population of Burmese migrant workers who work in the fishing industry and electronics factories in town.         PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseWorkers0430075.jpg
  • 01 OCTOBER 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: A crewman on a fishing trawler in Mahachai, one of Thailand's largest fishing ports. Thailand's fishing industry had been facing an October deadline from the European Union to address issues related to overfishing and labor practices. Failure to adequately address the issues could have resulted in a ban on Thai exports to the EU. In September Thai officials announced that they had secured an extension of the deadline. Officials did not say how much extra time they had to meet the EU goals. Thailand's overall annual exports to the EU are between 23.2 billion Thai Baht and 30 billion Thai Baht (US$645 million to US $841 million). Thailand's total fish exports were worth about 110 billion baht in 2014.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    FishingPort047.jpg
  • 01 OCTOBER 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: A crewman on a fishing trawler in Mahachai, one of Thailand's largest fishing ports. Thailand's fishing industry had been facing an October deadline from the European Union to address issues related to overfishing and labor practices. Failure to adequately address the issues could have resulted in a ban on Thai exports to the EU. In September Thai officials announced that they had secured an extension of the deadline. Officials did not say how much extra time they had to meet the EU goals. Thailand's overall annual exports to the EU are between 23.2 billion Thai Baht and 30 billion Thai Baht (US$645 million to US $841 million). Thailand's total fish exports were worth about 110 billion baht in 2014.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    FishingPort041.jpg
  • 01 OCTOBER 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:  Members of a fishing crew relax after their trawler returned to port in Mahachai, one of Thailand's largest fishing ports. Thailand's fishing industry had been facing an October deadline from the European Union to address issues related to overfishing and labor practices. Failure to adequately address the issues could have resulted in a ban on Thai exports to the EU. In September Thai officials announced that they had secured an extension of the deadline. Officials did not say how much extra time they had to meet the EU goals. Thailand's overall annual exports to the EU are between 23.2 billion Thai Baht and 30 billion Thai Baht (US$645 million to US $841 million). Thailand's total fish exports were worth about 110 billion baht in 2014.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    FishingPort038.jpg
  • 01 OCTOBER 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:  Thai fishing trawlers in port in Mahachai, one of Thailand's largest fishing ports. Thailand's fishing industry had been facing an October deadline from the European Union to address issues related to overfishing and labor practices. Failure to adequately address the issues could have resulted in a ban on Thai exports to the EU. In September Thai officials announced that they had secured an extension of the deadline. Officials did not say how much extra time they had to meet the EU goals. Thailand's overall annual exports to the EU are between 23.2 billion Thai Baht and 30 billion Thai Baht (US$645 million to US $841 million). Thailand's total fish exports were worth about 110 billion baht in 2014.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    FishingPort034.jpg
  • 01 OCTOBER 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:  Workers descale fresh fish in the market in Mahachai, one of Thailand's largest fishing ports. Thailand's fishing industry had been facing an October deadline from the European Union to address issues related to overfishing and labor practices. Failure to adequately address the issues could have resulted in a ban on Thai exports to the EU. In September Thai officials announced that they had secured an extension of the deadline. Officials did not say how much extra time they had to meet the EU goals. Thailand's overall annual exports to the EU are between 23.2 billion Thai Baht and 30 billion Thai Baht (US$645 million to US $841 million). Thailand's total fish exports were worth about 110 billion baht in 2014.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    FishingPort032.jpg
  • 01 OCTOBER 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: Fishing crewmen on the back of a Thai fishing trawler in Mahachai, one of Thailand's largest fishing ports. Thailand's fishing industry had been facing an October deadline from the European Union to address issues related to overfishing and labor practices. Failure to adequately address the issues could have resulted in a ban on Thai exports to the EU. In September Thai officials announced that they had secured an extension of the deadline. Officials did not say how much extra time they had to meet the EU goals. Thailand's overall annual exports to the EU are between 23.2 billion Thai Baht and 30 billion Thai Baht (US$645 million to US $841 million). Thailand's total fish exports were worth about 110 billion baht in 2014.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    FishingPort009.jpg
  • 01 OCTOBER 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:  A Thai fishing trawler goes up the Tha Chin river in Mahachai, one of Thailand's largest fishing ports. Thailand's fishing industry had been facing an October deadline from the European Union to address issues related to overfishing and labor practices. Failure to adequately address the issues could have resulted in a ban on Thai exports to the EU. In September Thai officials announced that they had secured an extension of the deadline. Officials did not say how much extra time they had to meet the EU goals. Thailand's overall annual exports to the EU are between 23.2 billion Thai Baht and 30 billion Thai Baht (US$645 million to US $841 million). Thailand's total fish exports were worth about 110 billion baht in 2014.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    FishingPort006.jpg
  • 11 JUNE 2015 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:  Burmese migrant workers at the Samut Sakhon shrimp market clean and process farm raised shrimp. Labor activists say there are about 200,000 migrant workers from Myanmar (Burma) employed in the fishing and seafood industry in Mahachai, a fishing port about an hour southwest of Bangkok. Since 2014, Thailand has been a Tier 3 country on the US Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report (TIPS). Tier 3 is the worst ranking, being a Tier 3 country on the list can lead to sanctions. Tier 3 countries are "Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so." After being placed on the Tier 3 list, the Thai government cracked down on human trafficking and has taken steps to improve its ranking on the list. The 2015 TIPS report should be released in about two weeks. Thailand is hoping that its efforts will get it removed from Tier 3 status and promoted to Tier 2 status.        PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrantWorkers061115016.jpg
  • 30 APRIL 2013 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:   Passengers on a truck converted to use as a bus in Mahachai, Samut Sakhon province, Thailand. Pickup trucks are frequently converted to use as buses by the installation of bench seats in the back. Called songthaews, they are common sight in Thailand. Conversion of large trucks is less common but happens in large towns with a large population of factory workers. Samut Sakhon has a very large population of Burmese migrant workers who work in the fishing industry and electronics factories in town.         PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseWorkers0430073.jpg
  • 30 APRIL 2013 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: A Burmese man works on an appliance on a tenement balcony above a fish processing plant in Mahachai, Samut Sakhon province, Thailand. The Thai fishing industry is heavily reliant on Burmese and Cambodian migrants. Burmese migrants crew many of the fishing boats that sail out of Samut Sakhon and staff many of the fish processing plants in Samut Sakhon, about 45 miles south of Bangkok. Migrants pay as much $700 (US) each to be smuggled from the Burmese border to Samut Sakhon for jobs that pay less than $5.00 (US) per day. There have also been reports that some Burmese workers are abused and held in slavery like conditions in the Thai fishing industry.         PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseWorkers0430071.jpg
  • 30 APRIL 2013 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:  A Burmese man wearing a traditional longyi (Burmese sarong) walks through the Thai fishing port of Mahachai. The Thai fishing industry is heavily reliant on Burmese and Cambodian migrants. Burmese migrants crew many of the fishing boats that sail out of Samut Sakhon and staff many of the fish processing plants in Samut Sakhon, about 45 miles south of Bangkok. Migrants pay as much $700 (US) each to be smuggled from the Burmese border to Samut Sakhon for jobs that pay less than $5.00 (US) per day. There have also been reports that some Burmese workers are abused and held in slavery like conditions in the Thai fishing industry.          PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseWorkers0430066.jpg
  • 30 APRIL 2013 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:   A Burmese teenaged girl waits to buy betel from a Burmese betel vendor in the Thai fishing port of Mahachai. The girl works in a fish processing plant and chews the betel, which is a mild stimulant. The Thai fishing industry is heavily reliant on Burmese and Cambodian migrants. Burmese migrants crew many of the fishing boats that sail out of Samut Sakhon and staff many of the fish processing plants in Samut Sakhon, about 45 miles south of Bangkok. Migrants pay as much $700 (US) each to be smuggled from the Burmese border to Samut Sakhon for jobs that pay less than $5.00 (US) per day. There have also been reports that some Burmese workers are abused and held in slavery like conditions in the Thai fishing industry. Thanaka powder has been used by Burmese for over 2000 years for protection from the sun.         PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseWorkers0430064.jpg
  • 30 APRIL 2013 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:   Burmese women work in a shrimp processing plant in the Thai fishing port of Mahachai. The Thai fishing industry is heavily reliant on Burmese and Cambodian migrants. Burmese migrants crew many of the fishing boats that sail out of Samut Sakhon and staff many of the fish processing plants in Samut Sakhon, about 45 miles south of Bangkok. Migrants pay as much $700 (US) each to be smuggled from the Burmese border to Samut Sakhon for jobs that pay less than $5.00 (US) per day. There have also been reports that some Burmese workers are abused and held in slavery like conditions in the Thai fishing industry.         PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseWorkers0430057.jpg
  • 30 APRIL 2013 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:   Burmese women watch television in their apartment in the Thai fishing port of Mahachai. The Thai fishing industry is heavily reliant on Burmese and Cambodian migrants. Burmese migrants crew many of the fishing boats that sail out of Samut Sakhon and staff many of the fish processing plants in Samut Sakhon, about 45 miles south of Bangkok. Migrants pay as much $700 (US) each to be smuggled from the Burmese border to Samut Sakhon for jobs that pay less than $5.00 (US) per day. There have also been reports that some Burmese workers are abused and held in slavery like conditions in the Thai fishing industry.         PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseWorkers0430046.jpg
  • 30 APRIL 2013 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND: A Burmese woman relaxes in a Burmese tea shop in Mahachai, Samut Sakhon province, Thailand. The Thai fishing industry is heavily reliant on Burmese and Cambodian migrants. Burmese migrants crew many of the fishing boats that sail out of Samut Sakhon and staff many of the fish processing plants in Samut Sakhon, about 45 miles south of Bangkok. Migrants pay as much $700 (US) each to be smuggled from the Burmese border to Samut Sakhon for jobs that pay less than $5.00 (US) per day. There have also been reports that some Burmese workers are abused and held in slavery like conditions in the Thai fishing industry.           PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseWorkers0430039.jpg
  • 30 APRIL 2013 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:  Unemployed Burmese men who were lured to Thailand with the promise of jobs relax in a Burmese tea shop in Mahachai, Samut Sakhon province, Thailand. The Thai fishing industry is heavily reliant on Burmese and Cambodian migrants. Burmese migrants crew many of the fishing boats that sail out of Samut Sakhon and staff many of the fish processing plants in Samut Sakhon, about 45 miles south of Bangkok. Migrants pay as much $700 (US) each to be smuggled from the Burmese border to Samut Sakhon for jobs that pay less than $5.00 (US) per day. There have also been reports that some Burmese workers are abused and held in slavery like conditions in the Thai fishing industry.          PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseWorkers0430032.jpg
  • 30 APRIL 2013 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:   A Burmese worker with thanaka powder on her face repairs a fishing net in the port of Mahachai, Samut Sakhon province, Thailand. The Thai fishing industry is heavily reliant on Burmese and Cambodian migrants. Burmese migrants crew many of the fishing boats that sail out of Samut Sakhon and staff many of the fish processing plants in Samut Sakhon, about 45 miles south of Bangkok. Migrants pay as much $700 (US) each to be smuggled from the Burmese border to Samut Sakhon for jobs that pay less than $5.00 (US) per day. There have also been reports that some Burmese workers are abused and held in slavery like conditions in the Thai fishing industry. Thanaka powder has been used by Burmese for over 2000 years for protection from the sun.         PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseWorkers0430029.jpg
  • 30 APRIL 2013 - MAHACHAI, SAMUT SAKHON, THAILAND:    A Burmese worker repairs a fishing net in the port of Mahachai, Samut Sakhon province, Thailand. The Thai fishing industry is heavily reliant on Burmese and Cambodian migrants. Burmese migrants crew many of the fishing boats that sail out of Samut Sakhon and staff many of the fish processing plants in Samut Sakhon, about 45 miles south of Bangkok. Migrants pay as much $700 (US) each to be smuggled from the Burmese border to Samut Sakhon for jobs that pay less than $5.00 (US) per day. There have also been reports that some Burmese workers are abused and held in slavery like conditions in the Thai fishing industry.        PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseWorkers0430021.jpg
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Jack Kurtz, Photojournalist & Travel Photographer

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