Greyman Blog

March 18, 2009

Grey Man Operatives, in a combined operation with the Thai Police, arrested three members of a Laotian trafficking ring (including the ring leader) who have been transporting ethnic minority children from Laos into Thailand. The girls were sold to brothels and karaoke bars for sex work, and to factories for slave labour. Today, five 15-year old girls were rescued from the traffickers in an undercover operation this morning.

Boat used by the traffickers to enter Thailand illegally from Laos

In 2005, families in Hill-Tribe villages in Laos were approached by a group of Lao males who were led by a man named Aunwieng who was arrested today. He told the families that he would take their daughters and find them good jobs in Thailand. He also gave an advance on the girls’ salary to their parents - around 20,000 Thai Baht each or US$600 for each girl.

The girls stated that Aunwieng took them to Thailand where they were passed on to a female Laotian trafficker who put them to work in the sex industry. The girls were initially working at a karaoke bar in Pharn for a few weeks and were then trafficked to another province by a Thai male. They were eventually arrested by Thai Immigration Police and handed over to a Thai NGO. Although the girls’ statements were taken, the case managed to get ‘lost’ for three years.

The Thai NGO contacted us a month ago and asked if we could help. We responded and sent a team to investigate. Our people met with the Police in Bangkok responsible for the case. Covertly, we contacted people who knew the traffickers and organised to meet with them. We flew Prosecutors to interview the girls and met with a Police contingent to map out an action plan. Arrest warrants were to be issued, but could not be issued in time for our meeting with the traffickers. As a result of this, we negotiated to buy four girls from the traffickers and have the girls delivered at a later date.

Finally, the arrest warrants were ready and we just had to wait for a call from the traffickers. It came earlier this week. Grey Man then rolled into action with covert equipment and operatives.

Traffickers arrested on the beach

A series of meetings were held on Wednesday 18th March with police involved in the case.  Plans were made for four separate operations. One involved arresting the traffickers at two locations as well as separate raids on a house and a brothel.

At 10:00 am today, a Grey Man Team met with the first trafficker. By 10:05am one trafficker, Aunwieng, was in police custody. Another two traffickers were in police custody by 11:00 am and the girls that they wanted to sell to us were under Police protection. Only one trafficker resisted arrest but was quickly subdued.  Another girl was rescued from the house of one of the traffickers in a subsequent raid.

The face of the ringleader

These traffickers are part of a larger criminal ring and we expect up to seven further arrests. This gang has been acting without fear for many years and we estimate they have been moving 8-10 girls per month. Grey Man’s destruction of their ring means around 100 girls per year have been saved from trafficking.

One of the 15-year old girls rescued by Grey Man with a police guard

All at The Grey Man again convey our sincere thanks to the Thai Police CWD unit from Bangkok for an excellent job and to our Grey Man Team in Thailand for putting their lives on the line.

This is what we do.

John

Usually Grey Man operations in Thailand involve the rescue of ethnic minority or hill-tribe children who have no citizenship and therefore are easy prey for traffickers. Sometimes children are Burmese or Laotian and trying to support themselves and their families, but occasionally we rescue Thai citizens as well. A recent case involved three Thai girls and highlights a worrying trend. Two of the girls were 16, not working and simply wanted to make some cash to pay for mobile phones, smart clothes and entertainment.

Consumerism and materialism are increasing factors in the movement of Thai girls into prostitution, with a number of Thai schoolgirls and university women entering sex work to fund their lifestyles.  It is also an increasing factor in trafficking of children from the ethnic minorities as they, their parents, or both, simply want to acquire the material benefits of the modern world. This can mean anything from a new car, motorbike or TV to a mobile phone, dresses, shoes and jewelry.

However, in this recent case, the third girl, Peng (not her real name) had run away from home because her grandmother wanted her to go to school in another province where the education was free. To go to this school Peng had to live with her grandmother whom she did not like. Peng’s mother was widowed and poor so she encouraged the move to the free school. Peng, who was fifteen, did not want to leave her usual school and was very unhappy so she ran away from home and fell in with her two friends (the sixteen year-olds mentioned above).

Peng - another successful rescue

Two days later they encouraged Peng to come with them to a new job where they could make a lot of money quickly, so Peng joined them. Little did she know that the two older girls had been recruited by a 21-year old sex worker and her virginity was about to be sold for 10,000 baht (AUD$450) of which she would receive 2500 baht (AUD$112) and the older girls would be paid 2000 baht each to have sex with clients.

This story could have had the typical tragic ending where Peng, who did not know she had been sold, would have resisted and been raped. The damage done to her would have resulted in her manipulation by the pimp and, with her self-esteem damaged; she would have become another statistic. A girl with a bright future damaged beyond repair, continuing on in sex work and possibly dying young from AIDS like so many before her.

Luckily, and unknown to the pimp, the client was The Grey Man and the pimp was about to become a victim of one of our sting operations. Our operatives met the girls in a hotel room, and to make a long story much shorter, the police arrested the pimp. The girl’s parents were called. Social workers working with The Grey Man interviewed the girls and discovered Peng’s story. Her mother was shocked when contacted and she came to pick Peng up.

They both sat down with a social worker and an hour later Peng’s mother agreed to let Peng stay at her school and move in with an aunt she loved to minimize expenses for her mother. The mother was extremely relieved that her daughter had not become another victim of the sex trade. The story made the front page of the local newspaper but as usual we asked not to be mentioned and allowed the police to take the credit, richly deserved, as they did a great job.

This story could have ended so very differently but luckily Grey Man operatives are in the front line against trafficking, protecting girls like Peng and we are grateful to all of our supporters who allow us to keep them there. Thank you.

John

Northern Thailand.
My wife and I are sitting on the verandah of the trekking lodge that Grey Man provided the initial funding for and was then finished with help from Nike, Thailand. We are taking a break from our hectic schedule of checking on Grey Man projects and kicking back with a cup of coffee and admiring the view. As the sounds of the village below drift up to us I have a chance to reflect on what can be accomplished when people who care enough choose to take action.

The trekking lodge

A few years ago this village was very poor and had the unenviable statistic of having the highest incidence of AIDS in Thailand.  Sad but true. Our friend Sila took me to the bamboo grove just outside the  vllage where they bury their dead.  So many gravesites, so many deaths from AIDS.  So many good people.  Young girls lured to the cities and into prostitution, trafficked often by relatives or people they knew.

Every time I pass a certain house in the village which is more elegant than the bamboo huts surrounding it I am reminded of the girl who went to Bangkok to work in a karaoke bar , only to catch HIV and come back to the village to die. This house is the one she built for her mother before she died.

However, in just a few short years, our partner agency Kids Ark has helped turn the statistics around through education, HIV/AIDS awareness and alternative income sources. Each time I come here the village quality of life has improved just a little bit more.

One view from the verandah of the lodge

This trekking lodge that Grey Man started now provides full-time income for one family and part-time income for another 23 families, including 3 school-girls (Nana (12), Ima (12) and May(11)) who help with the cooking. It also contributes funds to the community health centre, the village temple, regular sports days for the school kids, upkeep of the toilets, and assists with taking trekkers and locals to the district hospital if sickness or injuries occur.

Our initiatives to transport kids to school and support kids education, including assistance to their families, in this and other villages has reduced the chances of trafficking to virtually zero.

One of our school buses

Think on this. These initiatives were started by people who took action even when the obstacles were daunting. They were never ready to change the world but they did change it for this village. You will never be smart enough, capable enough, organized enough or strong enough to make a difference in the world……so stop waiting till you are and just do it anyway:-)

John.

Grey Man received intelligence in March, 2006 about a pimp (a lady boy, trans-sexual called Nom) who was offering underage girls.  A sting operation was put in place and he turned up with a number of under-aged girls but unfortunately got cold feet and left before the operation was concluded. 

Two years later after receiving intelligence from a reliable source we again came across the pimp and again attempted a sting.  It took our operatives 6 months to build trust and we had to accept over-aged (over 18) girls during this time (no sex was involved) and found that all of them had become sex workers because they were in debt to the pimp.  Even when some of them had paid off their debt they were too frightened to leave and many showed us the signs of physical abuse from Nom that kept them working for him.

In October, last year, Nom finally offered us a young girl.  He said she was a grade 8 school girl (aged 14) and asked for 3500 Thai baht ($US100) for short-term sex (1 hour) with her.  Grey Man authorised our operatives to conduct a sting operation in conjunction with local police.  Unfortunately, Nom turned up with a girl who was not a school-girl at all.  We were sick of dealing with him by this stage and decided to get him off the streets once and for all and to protect the girls that were indebted to him and whom he had abused.

The sting went ahead and Nom was arrested.  From her Thai ID card the girl turned out to be 21 years old. She stated the reason she ended up as a sex worker was because she owed Nom money that she borrowed to pay for her education.  We asked a social worker to contact her parents and she was taken back to her family.

Police and Grey Man personnel arresting Nom the pimp

Although our brief is the rescue of children from the sex trade, we will also rescue adult women from sex work if they have been trafficked or forced into it.  We will also rescue those trafficked into other abusive forms of labour if the situation presents itself.  This case took some time but in the end we got an abusive pimp off the streets (he is awaiting trial), rescued a woman from prostitution and also freed her and her friends from debt bondage and the abuse of Nom.  This case took up a lot of Grey Man resources but demonstrates that we will pursue the perpetrators and rescue the victims wherever the opportunity presents itself.

John

I want to introduce you today to one of the heroes of anti-trafficking.  Her name is Somaly Mam.  She was trafficked into a brothel around the age of 11 and was beaten, raped and tortured but she survived.  She went on to become a champion of children and has rescued over 4000 children from the sex trade.  Grey Man operatives have worked with her organisation AFESIP in Thailand and we hope to work with her people even more in the future, but for now I’d like you to view the video of Somaly and realise what one person can do against overwhelming odds.

President Bush signing the original 2005 legislation. The latest 2008 bill strengthens anti-trafficking laws

It is probably not well known, but despite the generally negative view of President Bush, he has been a staunch supporter of anti-trafficking legislation, and under his leadership the U.S. State Department, Department of Justice and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have taken an active role in pursuing traffickers.  This has resulted in hundreds of convictions and the rescue of over a thousand trafficking victims.  President Bush has committed many millions of dollars towards the cause and although The Grey Man has no political allegiance it would be a pity to not acknowledge his efforts.  On December 23, President Bush signed into law the ‘William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008′, a bill that enhances measures to combat human trafficking.

The bill imposes 10-to-20 year sentences on “brothel landlords” who use minors and harsher sentences for those convicted of “alien harboring” for the purpose of prostitution. It also limits U.S. funding to countries that use “child soldiers.”  

The law makes federal crimes out of receiving financial benefit from trafficking, obstructing the investigation of human trafficking or conspiring to traffic humans.  Importantly, funds seized from traffickers will not go to the government, but to help the victims. It will remain to be seen if the the bill has any effect as it was signed in spite of the objections of the Department of Justice, which sees some major problems in policing it.

We can only hope that President Obama can keep the best aspects of President Bush’s anti-trafficking legacy and also improve on it .  Goodbye President Bush and thanks for your contributions to anti-trafficking.  Welcome President Obama and we hope to see an ongoing effort to combat this terrible trade.

John

We recently visited a trekking lodge that Grey Man seed money built in one of the Lahu villages of northern Thailand.  We trekked with the Lahu four years ago and looked at their infrastructure.  They approached us about building a trekking lodge to support their fledgling trekking venture and bring income into the village (an important step in trafficking prevention).  So, we provided the initial funding to build the lodge and now only two years later the lodge provides a rotating income for 25 of the villagers who assist with the trekking as well as a percentage going to the community fund.

When we visited we were impressed with the job they had done.  It is such a nice place with a beautiful view that we will always stay there when we vist the Lahu in the future to check on the progress of various projects.  Eventually we may organise treks from Australia to raise more income for the village but for now we look forward to our next visit.  Providing people with income is one more nail in the traffickers coffin as there is less incentive to sell children when an alternative income is available

Lodge funded by The Grey Man

We realised a long-time back that rescuing children was not enough.  The real answer lies in giving children a future and that requires education.  Ethnic minority children often do not go to school or for only a minimal time.  This leads to lower employment prospects in the future.  To combat this issue we partnered with Kid’s Ark Foundation  in Thailand.  Their main focus is the support and care of AIDS orphans but they also have provided education to hundreds of children.

We liked their style and their philosophy.  They made financial support for a family conditional on the children attending school.  If the children were removed from school to be trafficked or for any other reason the money stopped coming.  This works very well and all of the children supported this way remain in school.  Grey Man started our prevention programme by supporting 28 families in one of the Lahu hill-tribe villages.  We continue this but have since expanded into providing transport for 100 children spread across three villages.  Without this transport many of these children would never receive an education. 

Motorbike donated by The Grey Man

We have also provided a motorbike for one child shelter that will allow the social workers to take information on trafficking to the villages at risk and will be used to travel to the families of trafficking victims to discuss re-integration into the family. 

Kru Nam is one of our favourite people so we have just provided the final payment for a truck to take Burmese ethnic minority kids from Kru Nam’s shelter to school. 

These two last projects were accomplished in partnership with Rotary Australia World Community Service (RAWCS).  They are all small steps but have the potential to create a major impact in the life of these children.

Based on child rescue work done by The Grey Man Inc in Thailand in the four months to November 2008 we can conclude the following:

• Illegal trafficking of children for the sex trade is increasing.
• Court sentences for trafficking children have increased and are more severe for children under 14 years.
• Those rescued range from mainstream Thai’s to hilltribe children from Thailand and neighbouring countries, to Burmese and Lao children. Even Chinese and Cambodian children are trafficked into Thailand but to a lesser extent than the others.
• Race of children trafficked varies with their location.
• The underage sex trade is getting more difficult to find as a result of stiffer penalties and police action.
• Not surprisingly the sex trade in the larger popular tourist destinations is operated by organised crime, both Thai and International.

If you have information that can assist the Grey Man Inc in its rescue work, please email us - you will find our address on the website.

Grey Man Inc  Director

Channel TEN news, an Australian TV news broadcaster recently did a segment on The Grey Man’s work in Thailand.  See it at: