Two women, Two countries, No choices
People fleeing the Burmese regime would rather face a life of prostitution and fear than return home
Illegal immigrants to Thailand have accused officials in the border town of Ranong of selling them by the boatload to people-traffickers and engaging in the sexual enslavement of young women. Two Burmese women have told the Phuketwan news website that local police and Immigration officers in Ranong extort money or sex from their victims, detaining them for lengthy periods or selling them to labour brokers if payments cannot be made.
TIGHT SQUEEZE: Illegal immigrants being placed aboard a truck at Ranong Immigration in 2008, prior to being repatriated. PHOTOS: COURTESY OF PHUKETWAN.COM
One young woman, aged 17, said that she had been obliged to work at the age of 13 as a prostitute in a karaoke bar, selling sex for 350 baht a time, with 125 baht going to her "owner" and 100 baht going to a corrupt Immigration officer. The karaoke bar, she says, is owned by a local policeman.
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About the author
- Writer: Alan Morison and Chutima Sidasathian
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