Greyman Blog

Thai-Burmese border crossing at Mae Sai

We received this e-mail below from a gentleman in Mae Sai, on the Thai-Burmese border.  We met with him 6 months ago as part of increasing our intelligence network and recently it paid off.

‘Hi John

Late this afternoon we were informed by one of our children (boy aged about 10 yrs) who visits our Drop in Centre (DiC) that he has regularly been sexually abused by a man who also comes into our DiC. On making further enquires my staff inform me that this man has also abused three 3 young girls two sisters aged 9 & 12, another girl aged 7 and possibly a girl aged about 4………I do not know who I can trust in the local police as some would not deal with this situation in a professional way, therefore I do not know who to contact.  I am aware that you have trustworthily contacts and would appreciate some urgent advice……’

The children were part of the never-ending flow of children who are trafficked into begging gangs and end up homeless on the streets of Mae Sai.  Grey Man immediately put our Thai Director of Operations on to it.  Within a short space of time the children had been secured, taken to hospital to be checked, the police informed and children taken to be interviewed under the care of Grey Man personnel.  They were then taken to a shelter that we have good connections with for their protection. 

Luckily, the Burmese perpetrator was found to be in custody on another charge and we simply added rape and a variety of other charges to his sheet.  He will be sentenced very soon and will do jail time.  The children are safe and happy.  It isn’t usually as easy as this but we were very happy with the outcome.

The following recent email from the gentleman running the drop in centre says it all:

‘Dear John

Many thanks for your contribution in the recent situation, it was appreciated. I will definitely contact Grey Man should we encounter similar situations again.  The police handled the case professionally and it was in court in a record time. I would like to think that this was due to their concerns and commitment, however it is more likely because they knew your team was overseeing the operation. 

Kind words and possibly true but we had good co-operation from the Mae Sai police and we thank them for their assistance.  They don’t always have the resources to follow up every case of abuse but they do their best.  Sometimes they just need a little help.

This was a good day.

John Curtis

You may remember that 8 weeks ago we rescued a young 15 year old girl called Peng (not her real name) and just the other evening we had the opportunity to catch up with her again here in Chiang Mai, Thailand.  She is a really shy, beautiful, 16 year old now who loves practising traditional Thai dancing and is doing pretty well at school. 

Peng on the night she was rescued

She told us the other evening that if Grey Man had not been there on the night she was sold she would never have been able to see her mother again because of the shame she would have felt.  Luckily, Grey Man was there and Peng now has a promising future if she gets access to a good education.

Presently she is attending a Welfare school which is available to people on a low income and free to attend but it means that she has to live away from her mother.  These schools do not provide a quality education and Peng has the potential to go on to University.  She would like to become a nurse so that she can help other people.

Peng does not fall under the normal Grey Man guidelines for assistance because she was not sent to a shelter.  She was able to be returned to her mother without danger and we don’t normally get involved with assistance in these cases.

However, we do not want to waste her potential and so I am appealing to you for help.  To pay for her schooling at a preferred school for the next 2 years will cost around 15,000 baht per year.  That is only $600 per year or $50 per month.  Here is a chance for YOU to make a significant difference in the quality of life of another human being. 

So I urge you to consider that for a small amount of money by western standards, you can change one life for the better.  If you want to support Peng please contact me by e-mail at admin@thegreyman.org and we will work out the details.  Even small individual contributions will quickly add up to the required amount and anything extra will go towards her continuing education.  Just let us know by e-mail that you want your contribution to go towards Peng’s education.  Thank you in advance for being in the arena with us and not just a spectator.

John

March 18, 2009

Grey Man Operatives, in a combined operation with the Thai Police, arrested three members of a Laotian trafficking ring (including the ringleader) 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 : 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 organized 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

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.