By GEOFFREY BEW
Published: 9th November 2006
FOUR Thai women who claimed to have been forced to work as prostitutes in Bahrain have been deported.
The alleged victims of human trafficking were sent home on Tuesday night after being questioned and later released by police.
Sources yesterday told the GDN that the women were allowed to collect their belongings from a hotel, but did not receive any compensation or salary payment.
It is understood Thai officials met them at Bangkok International Airport and took them for questioning to try and establish the circumstances of how they arrived in Bahrain and ended up working illegally.
By GEOFFREY BEW
Published: 9th November 2006
FOUR Thai women who claimed to have been forced to work as prostitutes in Bahrain have been deported.
The alleged victims of human trafficking were sent home on Tuesday night after being questioned and later released by police.
Sources yesterday told the GDN that the women were allowed to collect their belongings from a hotel, but did not receive any compensation or salary payment.
It is understood Thai officials met them at Bangkok International Airport and took them for questioning to try and establish the circumstances of how they arrived in Bahrain and ended up working illegally.
No information was available on whether any charges have been brought against a Bahraini man who had possession of the women’s passports and was taken for police questioning.
Officials at the Thailand Embassy have pledged to look into the matter.
The women, aged between 20 and 30, arrived at the embassy in Zinj on Monday, saying they had escaped from being forced to work as prostitutes.
They claimed to have had their passports and money taken away from them and been forced into prostitution.
The Bahraini, who had possession of their passports and other important documents, later arrived at the embassy and was said to have attempted to “intimidate” officials into giving him money in exchange for their papers.
It led embassy officials to a call the police and initiate a “lock-down”, in which no one was allowed in or out of the building until the police arrived. The Bahraini and all four women were then taken to the Nabih Saleh Police Station for questioning.
The incident happened at around 4pm, after the embassy had already closed for the day and lasted for around half an hour.
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