Ukrainian says he was held captive for 14 years

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Ukrainian says he was held captive for 14 years

Published: 23/01/2011 at 02:28 AM
Newspaper section: News

A Ukrainian engineer who says he was held captive and forced to work at a Bangkok factory for 14 years will meet Department of Special Investigation officers tomorrow to detail his allegations.

FREE MAN: Anatoliy Vdovychenko says he was confined to a factory premises.

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

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About the author

: Writer: Maxmilian Wechsler; Position: Freelance writer

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josh
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Discussion 18 : 25/01/2011 at 12:38 AM18
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owner if found guilty must pay for overdue salary,pain and suffering for all those years. Then put him in jail for life for kidnapping and other charges.
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englishbob
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Discussion 17 : 24/01/2011 at 06:38 PM17
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Yet more socialist propaganda on Bangkok Post?

How did this man's plight become a rallying call for communism? He comes from the Ukraine - a country crippled by the disastrous policies of communism!
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abbub
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Discussion 16 : 24/01/2011 at 02:41 PM16
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JERROLD: Yes making a small difference is sometimes discouraging but knowing others are trying as well is encouraging. The grab and run mentality as you refer to it as reins. And it has created a sort of anarchy that passes itself off as legitimate and worthy.

There is so much to be done.
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jerrold
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Discussion 15 : 24/01/2011 at 01:37 PM15
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abbub agreed!

Poverty creates crime and crime creates poverty.
In almost every related scenario it's the poor who eventualy pay the bill.
The only way to eradicate this global problem is a change of minds.
a change wich is called "SHARE AND CARE" instead of grab and run.
wether it be politicians police officials or ordinairy citizins
On a personal note I do believe we all can and MUST make a diffirence.
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abbub
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Discussion 14 : 24/01/2011 at 11:55 AM14
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J #12: Many families consent because they have been tricked into believing their kids will be working legitimately and sendng money home. Once again, a societal problem to to poverty.

i personally know two women who, when they were younger were tricked in their early teens to come and work in bangkok. After half a year they escaped because the younger girl was clever enough to find a way to contact her father, who spent three weeks hunting down the place they were being sequestered.

The family had been given money and promises the girls would be working in legitimate factories. Instead they ended up locked up in a Chinese/Thai home being forced to assemble firecrackers and rarely saw the light of day.

Poverty. Poverty. Poverty. Eradicate poverty.
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phetpeter
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Discussion 13 : 24/01/2011 at 11:51 AM13
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Hmmm. Perhaps the sting in the tail falls to the expired passport! Not wishing to fall foul of Thai officals. He asked to stay on, hiding out? and the Thai boss took advantage of a timid man. An things would have stayed that way, if a Burmese worker hadn't felt sorry for him? Just my thinking on the plot!
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jerrold
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Discussion 12 : 24/01/2011 at 04:15 AM12
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discussion 9
you are absolutly right.
except there is a diffirence between minors and adults.
sadly enough the (mostly Lao) underaged maids are isolated as soon as they enter Thailand.
sadly enough this Human trafficing problem usualy is with consent of the family in Laos.
despite repeated warnings from Tha Lao embassy in Bangkok the family's choose money instead of family interest first.
In this case however its an adult.......there is a way out, is'nt there?? If you are a growing up man, you stand up and fight (for your rights!)...except ofcourse if this poor man cant take care of himself and was held at gunpoint.
In that case...I rest my case!
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ivyking
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Discussion 11 : 24/01/2011 at 12:51 AM11
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I will believe if a Thai been force labor in Ukraine. The other way round is less likely. Anyway, let listen the story from the other side first, before jumping to conclusion.
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john.doe
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Discussion 10 : 23/01/2011 at 08:47 PM10
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QUOTE: "determine whether or not to proceed with a criminal case against the factory owner"

The owner of the factory should be in jail right now. Jail first, then ask questions later.

Why would this guy make up this story, and then ilegal burmese workers from the factory contacted authorities and family.
that can say a lot that the thing is a real deal.

how slow can the police be?

so embarrassing for thailand this is.
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travis
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Discussion 9 : 23/01/2011 at 04:48 PM9
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Why are you guys so skeptical? It is common knowledge that a great many middle and upper class households use trafficked Laotian/Burmese/Cambodian domestic servants, usually originally employed at a very young age, who are kept under similar conditions. Often abused physically and sexually, they are paid no salaries, are not allowed to leave the house, and are fearful of their lives. Often their families believe them to be dead as nobody has heard of them for many years. Rarely are any charges ever pressed against the kidnappers (for that is what they are). This case is not much different, but the gain to the "employer" was even higher.
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