Five Nabbed For Human Trafficking

[george]

Five nabbed for human trafficking

BANGKOK: -- Five people have been arrested on suspicion of human trafficking, police said yesterday.

Singaporean Edward Lee Kok-fai, 30, and four Chinese women bearing Singaporean passports in the names of Peh Yen Ling, Ong Yi Leng, Ling Jesling and Florence Tan Nui Choo were arrested at Bangkok airport for using forged passports, said senior immigration and tourism police.

"They were arrested and charged with forgery and using forged official documents," deputy tourist police commander Colonel Sakolrat Theerasawas said, adding that all five were travelling on fake Singaporean passports.

The arrests were made at gate 45 as they were boarding a PK 071 flight en route to Istanbul on May 17 by 10 tourism and immigration police officers on a tip-off that the women were being trafficked to Bucharest.

Sakolrat said Lee was believed to have been paid by a human trafficking gang in China to smuggle the women to a third country to work as prostitutes.

The charges follow the arrests by Thai police Wednesday of two British nationals and a man identified as a South African who were caught with 119 fake Italian passports, 120 Italian passport stamps and 10 British passport laminates.

The European Union has accused Thailand of being a hub for forgery of official documents, which facilitates human trafficking around the globe. Thai authorities have countered by saying the trade was controlled by foreigners

--The Nation, AFP 2004-05-22

[mouse]

We heard of one person in our village that made it all the way to Japan before being caught. Seems that the girls are paying as much as 1 Million Baht to be taken there. They easily work off the amount in a matter of a couple of months. The lucky ones come back a few years later with a Japanese husband.

[BKKdreaming]

I have to say that the JAPAN story does not ring true , maybe 1 million baht, but I will bet it takes years to pay it off , as more money is added for room and food etyc,

its not a nice life to get into if you cannot leave when you want ,

the "keepers" hold their passports

[dr_Pat_Pong]

I have to say that the JAPAN story does not ring true , maybe 1 million baht, but I will bet it takes years to pay it off , as more money is added for room and food etyc,

its not a nice life to get into if you cannot leave when you want ,

the "keepers" hold their passports

There's some freelancers there I hear. Those that are ' contracted ' are in a terrible situation. It isn't only in Japan either. Australia features there too.