Ukrainian Man Held Hostage By Thai Employer For 14 Years

[webfact]

Ukrainian says he was held captive for 14 years in Thailand - paper

A Ukrainian engineer who says he was held captive and forced to work at a Bangkok factory for 14 years will meet with officers of the Thai Department of Special Investigation on Monday to detail his allegations, The Bangkok Post reported on Sunday.

Anatoliy Vdovychenko, 57, was rescued from the Thai-owned oxygen equipment factory at the Rangsit industrial complex on January 11 after the Ukrainian consular staff confronted the owner and threatened to call police, the paper reported.

Ukraine's consulate in Bangkok learnt about the captive Ukrainian engineer after a Burmese worker who had left the factory sent a letter to the engineer's family in Ukraine last November telling them of the engineer's fate. The letter also included telephone contact numbers, the paper reported.

The engineer's family members contacted Interpol and local police who then contacted the Ukrainian Interior Ministry, which informed the embassy in Bangkok, the paper said.

''I thought I would be there forever,'' the paper quoted the engineer as saying.

''I stayed for many years in a small dirty room without pay. I worked hard for nothing. They didn't pay my salary and they forced me to work," he told the paper.

Vdovychenko said he had arrived in Thailand in April 1996 as a specialist in oxygen equipment installation. After suffering burns in an accident in July 1996, he had to stay in Thailand to receive medical treatment. After that, he was verbally offered a work agreement by a Thai factory owner.

Soon after that, however, the owner stopped paying him, confiscated his passport and forced the engineer by intimidation to work for him without any pay, the paper reported.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/world/20110123/162257401.html

-- RIA Novosti 2011-01-24

[asdecas]

Very odd.

[Loaded]

I'm sure just a simple misunderstanding.

[swifty5x5]

That's quite an overstay. It took the family 14 years to notice he was missing?

[spiderleghead]

thought he was in pat pong

[Puccini]

It will be interesting to see how this is handled by the Thai police. Hopefully, the newspapers will follow it up and report on it.

[backsoon]

Very odd.

It may be false, or true. It may be odd, or even. But one thing is obvious.

The Thai solution of the problem, -

The factory management is not at fault.

The owner is even less at fault.

The worker did overstay quite a bit.

Huge fine, or imprisonment for the culprit.

Or shut up and go back home.

TIT

[Hollywood3000]

Hey that's a great new idea for a reality TV show, "Who wants to be a Ukrainian specialist in oxygen equipment installation held captive for 14 years in Thailand?"

[ferret]

he will pay now for overstay and working without permit. The factory owner 4 sure made nothing wrong...

[DocHolliday]

this 'story' smells like 50.000 tons of rotten fish

[sydneyjed]

No pay for 14 years??Think of his first wage packet when he gets it!!

[yumidesign]

this 'story' smells like 50.000 tons of rotten fish

this same smell pervades all Thai media unfortunately

prime example from BKK Post

Crackdown on expressway speedsters

The Transport Ministry is poised to enforce strict controls on speed limits on expressways and regulate school vans across the country, all in the interests of road safety.

Edited January 24, 2011 by yumidesign

[GentlemanJim]

That's quite an overstay. It took the family 14 years to notice he was missing?

The family had been looking for him, instigated by his daughter who was young at the time of his disappearance. There was no Ukrainian Embassy in Thailand at the time he went missing. Where do you start to look with no assistance when you have no idea where he was?

[newermonkey]

Next headline:

"Thai immigration police come to understanding with factory owner over Ukrainian worker":

Department officers were quoted as saying "The factory owner has been extremely helpful in our inquiries and because the worker has mysteriously vanished, the case has now been closed".

Edited January 24, 2011 by newermonkey

[DocHolliday]

some question....

was he chained to the floor? Did he report the confiscation of his passport? Did his family need 14y to realize he had disappeared? Are there any diplomatic missions in Thailand?

Does Thailand have a Police...

yikes, what's wrong with this story.

[byjohnlafond]

Very odd.

This is unbelievably odd...In fact now that I think about it, I believe that I was held hostage in Thailand too when I realized how much I would have to pay in 14 years of over-stay fees.

[Samuian]

Very odd.

This is unbelievably odd...In fact now that I think about it, I believe that I was held hostage in Thailand too when I realized how much I would have to pay in 14 years of over-stay fees.

Sure, it got to be all his fault, prejudice without knowing ANY detail at all - on the grounds of the incredible overstay he and his family for condoning his unlawful act, not reporting him missing, for that they will be prosecuted, he got to be jailed, fined and deported for illegal staying and working without WP, without paying taxes and refusing to receive a salary in Thailand!

Edited January 24, 2011 by Samuian

[djlest]

so...

He couldn't just leave from a factory, walk out - go to his embassy or the police.. and he never had the opportunity for 14 years.

because they were guarding his door night and day?

lol

Well if was held captive in a basement id belive it,

But as he was forced to work in a factory, and since he had no ties or immediate family in thailand, then what threats exactly are we talking about?

unless of course its, we know the police - if you run to them we will have you thrown in jail because your papers or overstay is wrong.

surely he had more sense...

and why didnt his real family make any equiries about his whereabouts? or he tell them about him being in Thailand for work?

A story like this is just a fairytale - unless someone wants to actually report the facts... its a waste of my day reading it...

[asiawatcher]

Let this one play out - it should be interesting ...

[Dakhar]

sounds like a good discription of marriage to me

[Mugg]

That's quite an overstay. It took the family 14 years to notice he was missing?

The family had been looking for him, instigated by his daughter who was young at the time of his disappearance. There was no Ukrainian Embassy in Thailand at the time he went missing. Where do you start to look with no assistance when you have no idea where he was?

INTERPOL was around then also. They had to know he was coming here at least.. Hell a 5th grade class could have made it a extra project ... "Where's Toly?"

[BwindiBoy]

so...

He couldn't just leave from a factory, walk out - go to his embassy or the police.. and he never had the opportunity for 14 years.

because they were guarding his door night and day?

lol

Well if was held captive in a basement id belive it,

But as he was forced to work in a factory, and since he had no ties or immediate family in thailand, then what threats exactly are we talking about?

unless of course its, we know the police - if you run to them we will have you thrown in jail because your papers or overstay is wrong.

surely he had more sense...

and why didnt his real family make any equiries about his whereabouts? or he tell them about him being in Thailand for work?

A story like this is just a fairytale - unless someone wants to actually report the facts... its a waste of my day reading it...

You summed up my thoughts on this. If he wanted to leave he could have.

[Mugg]

so...

A story like this is just a fairytale - unless someone wants to actually report the facts... its a waste of my day reading it...

I agree on the wasted day .... I am going back to FaceBook now

[andrewdrummond]

Let this one play out - it should be interesting ...

Indeed an amazing story. But one day later NOTHING. No follow up, zilch. On the face of it this is an story of a 'white slave' and we have not any of those for yonks. Perhaps its all being saved up for next Sunday or an exclusive in the Ukraine because i could easily have read a longer interview with the guy

[Mugg]

Let this one play out - it should be interesting ...

Indeed an amazing story. But one day later NOTHING. No follow up, zilch. On the face of it this is an story of a 'white slave' and we have not any of those for yonks. Perhaps its all being saved up for next Sunday or an exclusive in the Ukraine because i could easily have read a longer interview with the guy

he wrote a diary I found part of it on twitter

Day 235 This sucks

Day 835 This sucks

Day 1232 This sucks

Day 2235 This sucks

Day 4235 This sucks

[kuffki]

I think many of you guys need to slow down a little and wait and see the full story follow up.

To start with, it is NOT an unheard of for Thai employees to hold "hostages"

Keep in mind, his English probably was not/is not the best, factory is NOT located in the city center, but rather in the sticks where no one can speak English. So to seek help could be a challenge.

Also being NOT from the West, many Russians or former USSR do not know of their rights and what can be done, especially if he does not speak the language and has no one to ask for help

Story may well be not 100% true, but rest assured no one makes up something like that.

Now that this has become public and embassy's are involved, i really do not think Thai Police will play micky mouse with nuclear state, and rest assured Russian will not just sit and watch and will do all it can to "help" just to get back at Thailand for Victor.

Some mentioned that its very strange that his family did not notice him missing, but perhaps they did and dealt with the fact that he is missing, "gone"

What exactly could they do, fly over and start to walk around the soi's to look for him?!

[hungryhippo]

You summed up my thoughts on this. If he wanted to leave he could have.

Double standards on this forum are ridiculous. Whenever a sob story about Thai's being exploited over seas come up you people immediately jump to the Thai's defence. Whenever something bad happens to a foreigner you ALWAYS start blaming them. You want to know why it sucks for you in Thailand and you have no rights? because you're so quick to smash your fellow man down without knowing any details.

[Mugg]

I think many of you guys need to slow down a little and wait and see the full story follow up.

To start with, it is NOT an unheard of for Thai employees to hold "hostages"

Keep in mind, his English probably was not/is not the best, factory is NOT located in the city center, but rather in the sticks where no one can speak English. So to seek help could be a challenge.

Also being NOT from the West, many Russians or former USSR do not know of their rights and what can be done, especially if he does not speak the language and has no one to ask for help

Story may well be not 100% true, but rest assured no one makes up something like that.

Now that this has become public and embassy's are involved, i really do not think Thai Police will play micky mouse with nuclear state, and rest assured Russian will not just sit and watch and will do all it can to "help" just to get back at Thailand for Victor.

Some mentioned that its very strange that his family did not notice him missing, but perhaps they did and dealt with the fact that he is missing, "gone"

What exactly could they do, fly over and start to walk around the soi's to look for him?!

All good points , no fun in getting the facts this is much more entertaining... also the USSR fell in 1991 , 25 years ago.. 10 years before he went missing.

[leebeeUK]

Very odd.

''I thought I would be there forever,'' the paper quoted the engineer as saying.

Er, sorry.. slight understatement there.. isn't that something you say when you're left sitting at Immigration all afternoon? From age 43 to 57, forced to work in a factory in a foreign country, unpaid and under great duress pretty much is forever, isn't it? Very much an "Er, what..?" story if ever there was one (and I know there's a few regularly popping up over here!)!! Really not even going to try to comment further as, er, sorry, what was that again..?!

[tropo]

A story like this is just a fairytale - unless someone wants to actually report the facts... its a waste of my day reading it...

Just a suggestion - stay away from Thai News Clippings to save you wasting anymore of your precious time.