Five Burmese migrant workers accused by Thai police of theft during last year’s devastating tsunami were acquitted yesterday, after being detained for more than ten months.

A Phang Nga Province court in Takua Pa found the Burmese defendants not guilty on November 3, and they are expected to be released today, according to representatives of the Thai Human Rights Commission and the Lawyers Council of Thailand. It is likely, however, that the defendants will not let the matter drop there.

“The next step is unclear until we get copies of the case files,” said Thanu Ekchote, a sub-committee member of the Human Rights Commission and a member of the LCT. “It is possible that the workers will bring a case against Thai authorities.”

Members of the Grassroots Human Rights Education group and the LCT are expected to meet the five migrant workers at the Phang Nga Province jail upon their release.

Local Thai news covering last year’s tsunami included reports of migrant workers plundering damaged Thai homes. Following the reports, local police in Phang Nga arrested 14 Burmese migrants on charges of theft.

The five migrants set for release today have steadfastly maintained their innocence. The nine other migrants, however, confessed to the charges and are currently serving 30-month sentences.

Htoo Chit, director of GHRE-a subsidiary group of the Human Rights Education Institute of Burma, based in Thailand-claims that the nine migrants were pressured to plead guilty in the hope of receiving lighter punishment.

Three of the five Burmese migrants set for release today were working illegally in Thailand and will be sent back to Burma, according to Thanu. The other two plan to continue working in Thailand after their release.

“We will find a way for the illegal workers to remain in Thailand until further legal options are exhausted,” said Htoo Chit.

A June 2005 press release from Amnesty International suggested that hundreds of thousands of Burmese migrant workers in Thailand are routinely exploited by employers and local authorities, and that they need stronger legal protections.