Thai massage workers warned about being forced into Middle Eastern sex trade

 

Picture: Sanook

 

The Department of Special Investigation has warned Thai women not to believe agents' claims of an easy life abroad offering traditional massage.

 

They will be asked to offer sex.

 

The DSI specifically mentioned the UAE, Bahrain, South Korea and Malaysia.

 

The warning came after three agents were arrested on human trafficking and related charges, according to DSI deputy chief Pol Lt-Col Suphat Thammathanarat.

 

One agent was arrested in Chonburi and two in Ubon Ratchathani.

 

Suphat said that the DSI had been contacted by the Phithak Satree foundation on behalf of six Thai women in Dubai.

 

On arrival in Dubai the Chinese owner of a massage shop had taken their passports. Some were whisked off to a brothel in Abu Dhabi and forced to have sex with customers. 

 

If they didn't they would not be able to repay their debts.

 

They had all signed an agreement to repay 62,700 baht travel and other fees or they would be prosecuted.

 

Realizing they had been conned they went to the Thai embassy in Dubai and the foundation for help. 

 

The DSI warned Thai woman not to be taken in by agents' claims they could have an easy life providing traditional massage. In the countries mentioned it would lead to being forced into the sex trade.

 

The public were urged to provide tips about other victims.

 

Source: Sanook

 

 

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3 hours ago, webfact said:

The Department of Special Investigation has warned Thai women not to believe agents' claims of an easy life abroad offering traditional massage.

 

They will be asked to offer sex.

I would be very surprised if the people going there were not aware of this possibility prior to leaving Thailand so no real surprises .................LOL

3 minutes ago, Geoffggi said:

I would be very surprised if the people going there were not aware of this possibility prior to leaving Thailand so no real surprises .................LOL

Not so - a friend of mine [a married lady] was lured in by an agent, told that it was straight massage and as it says above, was made to surrender her passport. They told her that she would be beaten if she went to the Thai Embassy. I sent her $ to buy back her passport and return to Thailand. I had warned her but she believed the agent. There were other ladies there who wanted to return but were trapped. 

Some of them would be disappointed if they couldn't offer sex=less money. 

2 minutes ago, 1FinickyOne said:

Not so - a friend of mine [a married lady] was lured in by an agent, told that it was straight massage and as it says above, was made to surrender her passport. They told her that she would be beaten if she went to the Thai Embassy. I sent her $ to buy back her passport and return to Thailand. I had warned her but she believed the agent. There were other ladies there who wanted to return but were trapped. 

I worked in the Middle East for a considerable time and know exactly what goes on there

The government has closed massage shops a few times and will happily do so again.

However, the massage ladies/men receive no financial support from said government.

Perhaps if the government looked after its all of its citizens in these troubled times, then they would not have to go abroad for work.

Just a thought?

4 hours ago, webfact said:

They will be asked to offer sex.

Nope, they will be forced to provide sex.

1 hour ago, Geoffggi said:

I would be very surprised if the people going there were not aware of this possibility prior to leaving Thailand so no real surprises .................LOL

 

There are lady only spas in Abu Dhabi that offer various traditional massages. A male requiring a therapy massage will only have male masseurs. 

 

There are also plenty of ads for massages, escorts, etc there too nowadays. 

 

Anyone thinking of working their needs to very clearly distinguish between the two.

1 hour ago, Geoffggi said:

I worked in the Middle East for a considerable time and know exactly what goes on there

 

And you're not the only one.

I agree with the "beware warning" but for many it must be tempting at present with

them not being able to earn a brass razoo here due to the lockdown over reaction

along with the Governments massive payouts to these unemployed 555

5 hours ago, webfact said:

They had all signed an agreement to repay 62,700 baht travel and other fees or they would be prosecuted.

 

Realizing they had been conned they went to the Thai embassy in Dubai and the foundation for help. 

Would you not think about this BEFORE you went to Dubai? Girls, you were conned before you even left home! 

62,700 baht travel, yeah right! ????

I know a woman who this happened to that ended up in the uk . She was beaten , passport taken and forced to sleep in a dump with all the other women and many customers daily . She only escaped when the police finally raided the place .

A friend of my wife’s went to South Korea to work . She was married and had a kid , promised 50,000bht plus a month wages for working in a bar I think it was the description she was told. Now she has been there for over a year and sends money back monthly to her husband to pay for the car/house/kid etc . Don’t think she has been back since she left and told my wife to go . I said not a hope in hell she was going there and that I would bet my life her fiend was sleeping with men to make money . 

7 hours ago, webfact said:

The DSI warned Thai woman not to be taken in by agents' claims they could have an easy life providing traditional massage. In the countries mentioned it would lead to being forced into the sex trade.

Bit like Thailand then.

The Washington Post has a timely story published today about women from the Philippines being sold into slavery in Syria by way of UAE employment agencies. It's a pretty revolting read - 

 

Sold into Syrian servitude, Filipina workers tell of abuse, rape and imprisonment

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/trafficking-migrant-workers-syria-uae/2021/01/24/1d79e43c-3f0d-11eb-b58b-1623f6267960_story.html

Lol, 'forced' - there's an army of hookers over there plying their trade and they make good money.

53 minutes ago, ronaldo0 said:

I know a woman who this happened to that ended up in the uk . She was beaten , passport taken and forced to sleep in a dump with all the other women and many customers daily . She only escaped when the police finally raided the place .

A friend of my wife’s went to South Korea to work . She was married and had a kid , promised 50,000bht plus a month wages for working in a bar I think it was the description she was told. Now she has been there for over a year and sends money back monthly to her husband to pay for the car/house/kid etc . Don’t think she has been back since she left and told my wife to go . I said not a hope in hell she was going there and that I would bet my life her fiend was sleeping with men to make money . 

Sleeping she ain't

 

info such as this should be highlighted in schools early, then if someone makes a choice later it will be with open eyes. I'm certain there are some that knew what they were doing but I also believe some are duped..

8 hours ago, webfact said:

They will be asked to offer sex

 

Asked to offer .! 

Client

" I'd like a milkshake please " ..

Naive and easily led Thai woman 

" Do you have a McDonald's here as well then " .. 

1 hour ago, from the home of CC said:

I also believe some are duped.

as was my friend.. for sure... as well as others

Too little, too late.

 

Women and men who's families are poor have been doing this for decades.... 

 

Now they are officially told they may never return and forced into Slavery.... ? 

 

Again, too little too late. 

18 hours ago, Geoffggi said:

I would be very surprised if the people going there were not aware of this possibility prior to leaving Thailand so no real surprises .................LOL

They will be manipulated.

 

20 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

The government has closed massage shops a few times and will happily do so again.

However, the massage ladies/men receive no financial support from said government.

Perhaps if the government looked after its all of its citizens in these troubled times, then they would not have to go abroad for work.

Just a thought?

The Thai government has done nothing about the sex trade in Thailand? Only encouraged it, it’s a known fact anywhere in the world what goes on here.even if the government looked after these woman they would still do it.

Easy money .

perhaps if they were better educated, the vast majority of young teenagers wouldn’t get pregnant, and sell themselves to feed their children.

but again it is a government issue.

One has to realise, that contracts are signed, and in your home country everything seems good even for qualified professionals not from the sex industry ( although they too are professionals) .

The big surprise is that on arrival often your employer, be it a hospital or locally based company often ask you to surrender your passport, which means you cannot leave the country freely. 

This is to ensure you fulfill your contract, and you are supplied with an identity "passport" in some countries, which allows you to travel internally or to some other ME countries, but bordeing a flight home without your passport is near impossible. Yes people will say "that is illegal", however the reality of being in foreign country can be an alienating thing, and the laws think are universal are not.

 

 

On 1/25/2021 at 5:13 PM, ukrules said:

Lol, 'forced' - there's an army of hookers over there plying their trade and they make good money.

Yes,  correct.

They know what is going on they spoke with their friends prior.

So, in 99% of the cases I believe they know what they are getting into.

So sorry, not feel sorry it is a pretty well known situation they are getting themselves into they can choose not to go.

 

 

They are getting paid  good money, a airfare covered and visa.they stay  a few mths  do massage or whatever else.The word sex will be involved and they know it and off they go to do what many do

Geez, not the rosy picture i see with the girls in Australia in legitimate massage shops.

Business absolutely booming with no OS travel, with brisk trade like that i'm sure the girls are making quite decent money even tho usually just on a commission.

 

On the same subject, the standard of massage there has increased at an amazing rate.

The last 2 i've had at 2 different shops were really good strong girls, fantastic technique, the equivilent of any i've had in thailand, and believe me i've had a lot, back issues.

Yeah of course must more expensive but quite reasonable by my way of thinking.

On 1/25/2021 at 1:57 PM, 1FinickyOne said:

Not so - a friend of mine [a married lady] was lured in by an agent, told that it was straight massage and as it says above, was made to surrender her passport. They told her that she would be beaten if she went to the Thai Embassy. I sent her $ to buy back her passport and return to Thailand. I had warned her but she believed the agent. There were other ladies there who wanted to return but were trapped. 

 

Yep, it's very easy to get scammed.

On 1/25/2021 at 6:57 PM, 1FinickyOne said:

as was my friend.. for sure... as well as others

when i was in Bahrain, the hotel I was at gave me a printed 'menu' listing the nationalities available. The arabs are world leaders in human trafficking I believe due to their religion curtailing any normal man-woman interactions..

Just open tiktok with the #dubai #bahrain #thai hashtags and see what you get! Many ladies plying their trade and I would argue that around 80% know whht will be "asked" of them. Quite often their bubble of easy money is broken quickly and then they will throw the story of being mislead, forced etc so that the local embassy will get involved and they will get out without having to pay their "expenses" to the agents/shops. 

On 1/25/2021 at 10:54 AM, webfact said:

They will be asked to offer sex.

 

Shocking. Never happens in Thailand between Thais, of course. Only evil foreigners