DSI arrested a network of brokers supplying Thai women for forced prostitution in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

DSI arrested a network of brokers supplying Thai women for forced prostitution in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

       The Director-General of the DSI, Pol.Lt.Col. Korrawat Panprapakorn assigned his Deputy Director-General Pol.Lt.Col. Supat Thamthanarug overseeing the Bureau of Human Trafficking Crime to inquire into a case of Thai women lured for forced prostitution in United Arab Emirates (the special case no.72/2562). The special case inquiry officials of the Human Trafficking Crime Division 3, the Bureau of Human Trafficking Crime conducted investigation and inquiry and gathered evidence as ordered leading to the request for the Criminal Court’s arrest warrants against 3 persons as the brokers of a transnational human trafficking gang tricked Thai people into prostitution in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

       The Deputy Director-General Pol.Lt.Col. Supat Thamthanarug disclosed that the aforesaid special case resulted from the Alliance Anti Traffic’s notification that 6 Thai female victims tricked by Thai brokers to work as masseuses in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, claiming that it was a good job with good income without forcing into sexual intercourse with customers, aimed at convincing them to believe. After these 6 Thai women arriving at Dubai, United Arab Emirates, their passports were seized by a Chinese national, the owner of a massage parlour. Some women were sent to work in a brothel in Abu Dhabi and forced to have sexual intercourse with costumers. If refused, they would not have money to pay for their debts (their travelling and others expenses about 62,700 baht as mentioned in the loan agreement). The victims described that before departure to work, they had to sign loan contracts provided by Thai brokers for accepting their debts. The content in the said contract stated that they will be prosecuted for unpaid loans. Later on they could escape from the said massage parlour and requested helping from the Embassy of Thailand to Abu Dhabi to send them back to Thailand. They also requested helping from the Alliance Anti Traffic (AAT) to take them to file a complaint at the DSI for bringing offenders to justice.

       DSI keeps pursuing its investigation into this case, until January 20, 2021, the team of special case inquiry officials of the DSI arrested 3 alleged offenders as a network of brokers supplying Thai women for forced prostitution subject to the arrest warrants of the Criminal Court, including 1 alleged offender in Chon Buri Province and 2 alleged offenders in Ubon Ratchathani Province. They were charged by the special case inquiry official in the offence of conspiracy by agreeing from two persons upward to commit the human trafficking offence and jointly detains or confines the other person, or commits by any other means which deprives the other person of body liberty. The DSI delivered the said alleged offenders to the Criminal Court on January 22, 2021 for further legal proceedings.

       The DSI has determined to investigate, inquire, prevent and suppress human trafficking continually. The DSI wishes to warn the public not to believe the persons as the brokers claiming that there are massage works in foreign countries with good income, living condition, and non-forced prostitution, such as South Korea, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain. If the public has any information or clues related to human trafficking, please inform the DSI at no. 128, Chaengwattana Rd., Thung Song Hong Subdistrict, Lak Si District, Bangkok or call the DSI Hotline 1202 (Free call nationalwide), the informant’s information will be kept confidential.

Dated January 23, 2021