Tweet
A Thai woman forced to work in a Strathfield (a Sydney suburb - WT) brothel begged her clients to arrange a raid of the premises to free her, a court has heard.
One man agreed, but when police arrived the woman had been moved to a brothel in Penrith (a very distant surburb - WT), documents tendered to the Supreme Court show. Two men have been accused of slave trading and sexual servitude.
The woman, who had the working name Vivian, had arranged to come to Australia thinking she would work in a traditional Thai massage parlour, police allege. But when she arrived on April 23, she was met by a Thai woman at the airport who kept her ticket and passport and took her to the Strathfield brothel.
It is alleged she was locked inside and told she would have to work as a prostitute to repay her debt for the trip to Australia.
Police say Vivian heard about the raid on the Strathfield brothel and again contacted her client, who again called authorities. The documents show that police raided the Penrith brothel and found Vivian on May 20.
Her real name has been suppressed and she has been given a protection visa by immigration authorities.
She has told police she was not able not leave the brothels because she had no key and the windows were too high. She had nowhere to go and spoke little English. She had not been paid for her work.
Even though she had been given a mobile phone, Vivian told police she was too embarrassed to tell family and friends back in Thailand, and did not know the number of police in Australia.
The owner of the Penrith brothel, Johan Sieders, and the owner of the Strathfield brothel, Somsri Yotchomchin, are facing charges.
Sieders was yesterday granted bail on condition that he surrender his passport and not work in the sex industry. His lawyer had argued he should be allowed to re-open his brothel to earn enough money for his defence. (Note - brothels are not illegal in the state of New South Wales - WT)
The court heard that Sieders's wife lived in Thailand, and that between 1998 and mid 2004 he had transferred $215,000 to Thailand. (1 Aussie Dollar = about 1.30 US)
Federal police allege Sieders and Yotchomchin are part of an international syndicate involved in the deceptive recruitment, transportation and detainment of Thai women brought to Australian to work as prostitutes against their will.
But Sieders's family members told the court Sieders transferred money to help the family and had done the same for the Thai women working in his brothel.
One man agreed, but when police arrived the woman had been moved to a brothel in Penrith (a very distant surburb - WT), documents tendered to the Supreme Court show. Two men have been accused of slave trading and sexual servitude.
The woman, who had the working name Vivian, had arranged to come to Australia thinking she would work in a traditional Thai massage parlour, police allege. But when she arrived on April 23, she was met by a Thai woman at the airport who kept her ticket and passport and took her to the Strathfield brothel.
It is alleged she was locked inside and told she would have to work as a prostitute to repay her debt for the trip to Australia.
Police say Vivian heard about the raid on the Strathfield brothel and again contacted her client, who again called authorities. The documents show that police raided the Penrith brothel and found Vivian on May 20.
Her real name has been suppressed and she has been given a protection visa by immigration authorities.
She has told police she was not able not leave the brothels because she had no key and the windows were too high. She had nowhere to go and spoke little English. She had not been paid for her work.
Even though she had been given a mobile phone, Vivian told police she was too embarrassed to tell family and friends back in Thailand, and did not know the number of police in Australia.
The owner of the Penrith brothel, Johan Sieders, and the owner of the Strathfield brothel, Somsri Yotchomchin, are facing charges.
Sieders was yesterday granted bail on condition that he surrender his passport and not work in the sex industry. His lawyer had argued he should be allowed to re-open his brothel to earn enough money for his defence. (Note - brothels are not illegal in the state of New South Wales - WT)
The court heard that Sieders's wife lived in Thailand, and that between 1998 and mid 2004 he had transferred $215,000 to Thailand. (1 Aussie Dollar = about 1.30 US)
Federal police allege Sieders and Yotchomchin are part of an international syndicate involved in the deceptive recruitment, transportation and detainment of Thai women brought to Australian to work as prostitutes against their will.
But Sieders's family members told the court Sieders transferred money to help the family and had done the same for the Thai women working in his brothel.
The windows are too high? 
Comment