Thai masseuses enslaved in South Africa seek DSI action

[webfact]

Masseuses enslaved in South Africa seek DSI action
PONGPHON SARNSAMAK
THE NATION



BANGKOK: -- TWO MASSEUSES from Kanchanaburi have filed a complaint to the Department of Special Investigation against a recruitment company that they said enslaved them in South Africa and forced them to work to pay off a debt of about Bt100,000.

In the hope of finding a high-paying job abroad, Pawinee Sridee-iam, 56, and her sister Rungrasmee, 46, searched the Internet and came across a website advertising work as massage therapists in South Africa and promised to give high wages.

Pawinee, who is a massage trainer, did not hesitate to apply. She also asked her sister to join her.

"I decided to call this company and apply for this job because it offered a salary of at least Bt80,000 a month. That's a lot for me. The company's website was also certified by the Labour Ministry. So I was sure that the company would not lure me," she said.

When she responded to the job offer, the company asked her to demonstrate her ability by performing a massage at some place that did not look like a workplace. After she passed the test, the company explained that she would get a high salary from this job.

"Of course, when I heard that, I was like in a trance and quickly decided to go to South Africa," she said.

But when she asked about a contract, a company representative told her that the contract would be made when she arrived in South Africa.

Pawinee and Rungrasmee travelled to South Africa on November 4.

The employer picked them up at the airport in Cape Town and took them to their accommodations.

The employer confiscated their passports and travel documents, saying she would need them for work permits and immigration. But when Pawinee saw the contract that she had to sign with the company, she learned that it was all written in English and she could not completely understand the working conditions and salary.

"She told me to file a police complaint that our passports had been lost and she would give our passports back on the next day. At that time, I did not understand why," she said.

After staying in Cape Town for four days, they had to move to work in Johannesburg.

They were never given their passports back after they arrived in Johannesburg. The employer took them to the workplace and lodging in Johannesburg, which was totally different from the accommodation in Cape Town.

"It looked like a prison. Oh my god. I couldn't believe it. This place was surrounded by a high tension power line and dotted with many doors," she said.

"Some masseuses who worked there a long time told me that I was a new victim. When I heard this I was so scared," she said.

After working at this place for a few weeks, she found that the working conditions were not like what she had been told by the company's representative in Thailand. She was forced to work at least 12 hours a day. Her wages were cut by a large amount per month. Finally, she was forced to accept a "debt" and had to work to pay off the "debt" of about Bt100,000.

"The list of this 'debt' had been made out of the imagination of the employer. I had been never informed about this 'debt' before," she said.

After she knew that she had to pay off this "debt", she did want to work at this place and wanted to go back to her hometown.

"I had to call my husband to take our car to the pawnshop and get some money to pay for my "debt". If not, I would not be able to come back home," she said.

Fortunately, she could return to her hometown but she had to leave her sister alone in South Africa, as she did not have enough money to pay off her sister's "debt".

Pawinee has tried to ask for help from several state agencies including the DSI, Provincial Administration Department and Foreign Affairs Ministry to bring her sister back to Thailand. Finally, she could come back to her hometown on the condition that she had to pay off her "debt" with the company of Bt40,000.

Paisit Sungkahapong, a director of the DSI's anti-human trafficking unit, said his agency will next week start investigating the facts and persons behind this fraudulent employment in South Africa.

Pravit Khiengpol, director-general of the Employment Department, said there was no announcement via his agency's website to persuade Thais to work as massage attendants in South Africa. Most masseurs who went to work in South Africa were not sent by the department.

They had applied for a tourist visa to enter South Africa.

"We are ready to help them if the Foreign Affairs Ministry asks us to do so," he said.


-- The Nation 2014-02-14

[tominbkk]

Hmmm, giving traditional massage for 80,000 Baht a month in SA? Either they were greedy, dumb, or just willing to take a chance. Or, they knew exactly what was happening and when they got there decided they did not like it so are looking for a free ride home.

[NongKhaiKid]

Sorry ladies but I think you'll find Tarit is a little distracted these days.

[Soutpeel]

Hmmm, giving traditional massage for 80,000 Baht a month in SA? Either they were greedy, dumb, or just willing to take a chance. Or, they knew exactly what was happening and when they got there decided they did not like it so are looking for a free ride home.

to put it in perspective the average national salary in SA is around USD 1500/m, and they were offered around USD 2400/m

so just on that basis alone, you can see the problem with this picture.

[trogers]

Sorry ladies but I think you'll find Tarit is a little distracted these days.

And the question is -"Does he work for the country or for a clan?".

[Ricardo]

"Thank-you for calling the DSI Help-Line. Khun Tarit (who is an important man with lots of serious problems on-his-plate right now) is too busy with other more-important things, to answer your complaint right now, but please leave a message after-the-beep, and he won't call you back."

Smirk three times !

Edited February 14, 2014 by Ricardo

[chainarong]

Be that a warning to any Thai looking at working Over sea's, this has been going on for eons, its time to bring in some rules for Thai's going to work over-sea's the government should impose work visa restrictions and the labour department should take a more active interest in these visa's being issued, this also happens in the west where Thais have been conned, so it happened to them everywhere, as mentioned else where, the DSI is to busy, to look into such frivolous matters, he is actually busy preparing a petition against Thaskin to be charged as a traitor, as I write.

[tomyummer]

Certified by the Labour Ministry. Hahhahaha. Certified hard labour of course!!

[Debrae]

Whatever the reasons were for these ladies accepting employment in SA is irrelevant. It is certainly not unusual for Asian people to be seeking a better life in a "Western" country, and the salary of 80 000 THB is certainly not science fiction in SA. The cost of living in SA is so high, the 80 000 won't go that far anyway. If those ladies are safely back in Thailand and will not get the assistance here from the DSI, there is nothing stopping them from taking action against the con-artists in SA from Thailand. It's pretty obvious that Thai people are a lot more gullible than Western people as they don't have to deal with these sort of scams in Thailand. SA is at the top of the scam-list with little or no respect for anyone's life or future. Fortunes in SA are only for the clown government!!!

Vat so .... ex SA speaking!!

[harrycallahan]

The old taking the passport trick.

It's called theft, report it to the police. If you can't be assed to take such simple action then your 'slavery' is self-imposed.

[LivinLOS]

Look it is of course a terrible story (I notice of course she doesnt mention any issues of sex work, wouldnt want that to be out in public !!).

But dear lord what makes these women lose all sense and perspective.. I got a contract I didnt understand.. I was told to claim my passport was lost.. Etc etc..

[kerrysum]

So this is something new????

It has been going on for years in the LOS......

Good job and freedom? I do not think so........

Never looked at, never reasoned....

So you tell me.......

kilosierra.....

[Donnie Brasco]

Have a look around the departure lounges in Asian airports. It's clear. This ordeal is repeated time and time again as various Thai "contract workers" sign on to build, do agricultural work and nanny work in jurisdictions that permit this.

This kind of exploitation is not as sexy or flashy in the media. But it is by no means restricted to sex workers and easily accounts for the bulk of Asia's human trafficking violations.


" Nonsense signature line removed by moderator."

Edited February 14, 2014 by metisdead

[TechnikaIII]

Out of respect for the two ladies in such serious trouble, the moderators should delete the comments thread and keep it as a closed topic. Nothing said here can help the women, so why waste the server space on such disrespectful, shit-for-brain comments from TV armchair pontiffs.

[Soutpeel]

Be that a warning to any Thai looking at working Over sea's, this has been going on for eons, its time to bring in some rules for Thai's going to work over-sea's the government should impose work visa restrictions and the labour department should take a more active interest in these visa's being issued, this also happens in the west where Thais have been conned, so it happened to them everywhere, as mentioned else where, the DSI is to busy, to look into such frivolous matters, he is actually busy preparing a petition against Thaskin to be charged as a traitor, as I write.

not just Thai's know of quite a few expats who have been scammed in the employment stakes, maybe not to the degree of actually turning up in country and getting PP and "debts" imposed, but certainly losing money in the Admin/visa cost scam ie you have the job but just send us $800-$1000 for "admin/visa" formalities.

In my wifes family, someone was offered a job in the UK on "excessively" high money and my Mrs was smart enough to show me, took me about 5 minutes to determine it was a scam, ie office phone number in london was a mobile number, contact email address was a "hotmail" account,the office building mentioned had no company by that name listed and what the "company" was doing was getting people to send an "admin fee" for lawyers/visa applicartions amounting to over THB 70,000, obviously once the money was paid over, that would be the last the prospective "employee" would hear from the company.

I told the wife to tell the family member under no circumstances send any money, it was a scam, which she did, but of course being in Thailand, family member doesnt listen to the farang, after all what do they know ?.....sent the cash, family member now THB 70k out of pocket and crying like a baby and then had the cheek to try and touch my Mrs up for a THB 70k "loan", which of course never happened.

the old saying "if it seems to good to be true......" applies in these sorts of cases, people get stars in their eyes and visions of dollar signs and common sense goes out the window....

[slapout]

Certified by the Labour Ministry. Hahhahaha. Certified hard labour of course!!

Where is Chalerm when he is really needed to sort out a certification problem in his baliwick as Labor Minister? He must just be jerking on the traces to get this boondoggle straightened out and proper compensation made to those deserving of same.

[Dukeleto]

Whatever the reasons were for these ladies accepting employment in SA is irrelevant. It is certainly not unusual for Asian people to be seeking a better life in a "Western" country, and the salary of 80 000 THB is certainly not science fiction in SA. The cost of living in SA is so high, the 80 000 won't go that far anyway. If those ladies are safely back in Thailand and will not get the assistance here from the DSI, there is nothing stopping them from taking action against the con-artists in SA from Thailand. It's pretty obvious that Thai people are a lot more gullible than Western people as they don't have to deal with these sort of scams in Thailand. SA is at the top of the scam-list with little or no respect for anyone's life or future. Fortunes in SA are only for the clown government!!!

Vat so .... ex SA speaking!!

"Thai people are a lot more gullible than Western people as they don't have to deal with these sort of scams in Thailand. SA is at the top of the scam-list with little or no respect for anyone's life or future. Fortunes in SA are only for the clown government!!!"

Ex SA, you must be pretty new here then, as your comment above sounds pretty much like Thailand. A friends sister went over there (SA) to do the same thing and in less then two years has permanent residency without marrying anyone! Try doing that here!

[Dukeleto]

The old taking the passport trick.

It's called theft, report it to the police. If you can't be assed to take such simple action then your 'slavery' is self-imposed.

Yup, they take them here when you hire a motorbike.

[Halion]

Whatever the reasons were for these ladies accepting employment in SA is irrelevant. It is certainly not unusual for Asian people to be seeking a better life in a "Western" country, and the salary of 80 000 THB is certainly not science fiction in SA. The cost of living in SA is so high, the 80 000 won't go that far anyway. If those ladies are safely back in Thailand and will not get the assistance here from the DSI, there is nothing stopping them from taking action against the con-artists in SA from Thailand. It's pretty obvious that Thai people are a lot more gullible than Western people as they don't have to deal with these sort of scams in Thailand. SA is at the top of the scam-list with little or no respect for anyone's life or future. Fortunes in SA are only for the clown government!!!

Vat so .... ex SA speaking!!

"Thai people are more gullible than westerners as they don't have to deal these sort of scams in Thailand" These situations are promulgated through poverty, greed , ignorance in a culture that holds position and possessions in far higher regard than education,intelligence and moral and social

conscience, and they are rampant in Thailand.

[leosuntime]

I dont like ti say this but someone has to dye

[Soutpeel]

It's pretty obvious that Thai people are a lot more gullible than Western people as they don't have to deal with these sort of scams in Thailand. SA is at the top of the scam-list with little or no respect for anyone's life or future. Fortunes in SA are only for the clown government!!!

Vat so .... ex SA speaking!!

Err I remember a group of 20 SA "engineering" guys being stranded at an airport in the middle east after paying over vast amounts of money to an "agent" for non existant jobs in the middle east and paying for the own flights, and the "agent" had buggered off with their "admin" fee's and SA airways flew them back to JHB for free because they had been scammed

So not just Thai people who are gullible...

The lesson is...if your being offered overseas work, Thai or westerner....be very careful what your getting into and this includes westerners coming to work in Thailand..... How many here have signed employment contracts in Thailand which are in Thai and the person cant read Thai, but signs all the same...

Lekker Dag...

[MMarlow]

Hmmm, giving traditional massage for 80,000 Baht a month in SA? Either they were greedy, dumb, or just willing to take a chance. Or, they knew exactly what was happening and when they got there decided they did not like it so are looking for a free ride home.

Or perhaps they accepted a job offer in good faith? Not everyone is as worldly-wise as you.

Her husband had to pawn their car to get funds for her to travel home, where does the free ride come into it?

[MMarlow]

Hmmm, giving traditional massage for 80,000 Baht a month in SA? Either they were greedy, dumb, or just willing to take a chance. Or, they knew exactly what was happening and when they got there decided they did not like it so are looking for a free ride home.

to put it in perspective the average national salary in SA is around USD 1500/m, and they were offered around USD 2400/m

so just on that basis alone, you can see the problem with this picture.

Give the ladies a break, do you really think that they were aware of what the average national salary is in SA?

[noitom]

The headline is incendiary. Masseuses "enslaved" in South Africa. South Africa is the bad guy and they are "enslaving" poor Thai masseuses. The Thai press should think twice about how amateur they appear when they run a story such as this. If there are any Thai masseuses who read The Nation, let this be a forewarning not to trust the Thai Labor Ministry on their certifications. This is what the newspaper should be investigating.

[MMarlow]

Be that a warning to any Thai looking at working Over sea's, this has been going on for eons, its time to bring in some rules for Thai's going to work over-sea's the government should impose work visa restrictions and the labour department should take a more active interest in these visa's being issued, this also happens in the west where Thais have been conned, so it happened to them everywhere, as mentioned else where, the DSI is to busy, to look into such frivolous matters, he is actually busy preparing a petition against Thaskin to be charged as a traitor, as I write.

How would the Thai government impose "work visa" restrictions on visas issued by a foreign government and what jurisdiction does the Ministry of Labour have in South African embassies/consulates?

[Soutpeel]

Ex SA, you must be pretty new here then, as your comment above sounds pretty much like Thailand. A friends sister went over there (SA) to do the same thing and in less then two years has permanent residency without marrying anyone! Try doing that here!

Well I for one is going to question this, as for PR in SA, you either qualify up front for PR on a points system before your arrive, or by the route you have suggested, but you need to be "resident" and working there there and paying tax for at least 3 years...

Are there fake PR certificates running around in SA, you bet your life there are, as well illegally issued PP's...this is why in some cases it takes upto 9 months to get a SA PP issued these days, and some countries such as the UK, now require SA PP holders to apply for a visa before flying the UK..... corruption there is almost as rampant in goverment as in Thailand.

with your reference to Thailand, same same 3 years working and paying tax and you can apply for PR in Thailand, so yes you can do the same thing in Thailand...

[KKr]

Unfortunately, many workers are borrowing from their family and friends to pay some months future salary to "agents", that get paid by the employer anyway already, to earn money abroad basically to support their families.

I have seen many cases where upon arrival workers are told that the salary is not 800 USD but 400 USD, and they have to pay for food and accomodation themselves.

"Take it or leave it", or buy your own return ticket and in any case the few thousand bucks that you borrowed are your problem.

So I think it helps keeping workers out of trouble if:

ALWAYS you should find someone that has worked with this company before with your own friends, (references from the Agent do not count).

If you cannot find someone who worked there, it is likely to be no good therefore, ALWAYS write or call the Thai Embassy abroad and ask if they know this company.

NEVER go to work on a Tourist visa and perform no illegal activities: illegal employment in most countries means jail and deportation. (and usually no Government or Embassy support anywhere.)

Most countries that I know of give working visa, or at least a local Government endorsed Invitation to take a job (what again can be checked with their Embassy in Thailand) before you go to the Airport.

NEVER expect to earn more than about a thousand dollars, unless you are a qualified, University degree, Specialist, or can and want to do a special and usually risky job (for example deep sea welding jobs pays very well everywhere.)

Do register with your embassy abroad, unfortunately, if you end up with the wrong people, they are the only place you can run or call to for protection.

Good Luck, working abroad can be a very nice experience, I am roaming for over 25 years and never regretted.

[thhMan]

Being treated like an outcast in Thailand.. Work, property rights, legal rights etc... I just think its Karma at play... Its hard to find any sympathy.... My Thai family (wife and 2 kids) would agree with me..

[slipperylobster]

The story is spot on. This is how recruitman is conducted in the Philippines as well. Agencies arrange jobs and transportation to places like Japan, and then passports are confiscated and they must work off a debt (Food, Lodging, Transportation, Administrative, etc.). Usually, in the first six months, almost no money is made. The cutest ones get pressured into the sex trade. (by the recurring debt, and pressure from back home to send money) . Saw this in action up close, and personal, during my 5 years in Japan. Too much detail to relay here....

[somchaismith]

Being treated like an outcast in Thailand.. Work, property rights, legal rights etc... I just think its Karma at play... Its hard to find any sympathy.... My Thai family (wife and 2 kids) would agree with me..

Exactly, one only has to google, bangkok teaching agency scam, and all sorts of baddie's heads pop up.