'We'll be family again in Bay de Verde:' Thai workers heading to Maritimes after plant fire

Temporary foreign workers from Thailand who were set to work at the Bay de Verde fish plant are being reassigned to other processing plants in the Maritimes.

Many of them arrived in Newfoundlandjust last week, ready to start work for the upcoming season.

But on Monday, the 43 Thai workers were stunned, as they watched the building they expected to spend the next few months working at burn to the ground.

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Thanakit Ruangcharoen is the only one of the group who is fluent in English, and he said it's been a confusing time for the workers.

"They ask me like what our future [will be], what we can do next?" he said.

"I say 'we have to take the time for the company because they so busy right now.'"

Ruangcharoen, who's known in Bay de Verde as Tommy,said he trustsQuinlan Brothers to take care of the workers from Thailand in the aftermath of the fire.

"I believe in my mind Quinlan not leave us, Quinlan help us," he said.

"For a long time they take care of usveryvery good."

In a news release Thursday, the company said it has secured employment for the foreign workers at twoprocessing plants in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

"Travel will be arranged as soon as administrative details have been completed with federal agencies of government," company president Pat Quinlansaid.

Grew to love Bay de Verde

Ruangcharoensaid the work in Bay de Verde has been a blessing for the workers from Thailand.

"I can say everybody loves to work here, because everybody's life changes when we back to Thailand."

In the two years that Ruangcharoenhas worked at the Quinlan Brothers plant in Bay de Verde, he's grown to love the town and the people in it.

"Everybody here is friend, I can say," he said.

"When we go to work it's not only go to work, but go to meet friends."

Ruangcharoen said he's upset about the idea of leaving Newfoundland, but hopeful he'll be able to come back to a town renewed.

"Hopefully for the town [they] can make everything better, " he said, holding backtears.

"We'll come back, and we'll be joy again. We'll be family again in Bay de Verde."