'Trafficker' lured women
A suspected human trafficker has been arrested for allegedly luring women to the sex trade in the Middle East, police said yesterday.
Officers from the Suppression of Crimes Against Children and Women yesterday arrested La-iad Kaewdee, 32, in Muang Samut Prakan. She has been charged with being a member of a gang procuring women for prostitution.Police said La-iad had admitted the charges but claimed she had only been involved in duping one woman. Division deputy commander Colonel Jaruwat Vaisaya said a victim who escaped from a Middle Eastern brothel reported La-iad after being assisted back to Thailand by the Foreign Ministry. The victim alleges La-iad lured her to the Middle East with the promise of a well-paying job in a restaurant. When she arrived her passport was seized and she was forced to work as a prostitute. The gang claimed she owed Bt100,000 for transport costs. "We estimate up to 100 women remain in the Middle East being forced to work as prostitutes," Jaruwat said. Most of the victims are from the North and Northeast. Gangs go to different places and lure women with promises of good jobs as domestic helpers or in restaurants. "The Middle East is becoming a popular destination for human trafficking. However, the most popular are the neighbouring countries of Thailand," Jaruwat said.
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