Anything and everything under the sun

Nuffnang

Thursday, August 9, 2007

Disgusting Act - Human Trafficking

I watched a lot of Dateline NBC's show and their host Chris Hansen. I followed their stories on :

1. child prostitutions in Cambodia (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20186675/),

2. to catch a predator (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10912603/)

and last night's to the rescue, a story about a filipino woman rescued from human traffickers in Malaysia ( http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20185681/).

Last night's show was the reason why im writing about it in my blog today because it happened in my country, Malaysia. Please click the 'Watch the Broadcast' section since the write-up doesnt really give a full account of what happened.

Human trafficking is a horrendous act. Unfortunately it happens everywhere. Ranked any countries all you want but its all about supply and demand. Until and unless we punish the culprit severely, its not going anywhere. We might not be able to completely stop this horrendous act from happening but im sure we can minimise it.

As for Malaysia, Id suggest that the punishment for those traffickers be as severe as drug traffickers i.e. HANG! Too cruel? We'v already made those drug traffickers think twice before they make our country their heaven with our 'punishable by hang' punishments so why cant we do the same to those who are into 'flesh' trade? Obviously its very lucrative therefore a fine and jail time (why should we, the tax payer have to pay for their stay in jail anyway?) is just not enough. On top of that, in cases like this (trafficking), the victims (legal or illegal) must first and foremost be classified as, well, victims rather than their status. Unless of course if they'r in the 'business' out of their own account than thats another storylah.

We need female cops who are well-trained (and empathetic) to this kind of situations. Not to mention a list of translators who should be made available 24/7 since most of the victims are of different nationality thus definitely wouldnt know how to speak Bahasa or maybe even English.

Those in Malaysia, particularly in Penang, anybody knows who these Dr.Ng or Kenny Kang are? Im not sure abt locating this kenny guy but im pretty sure its easy to locate the doctor. Holler to Health Minister! How about the cop/detective in I assume, 1 of the police stations in Penang? He was 'accused' by the ex-fbi guy of taking a bribe. I said accused since there's no prove whatsoever of him taking a bribe.

As for Chris Hansen, a good reporter can make a good report about other countries without insulting the countries main religion or their general population. Some of your remarks were un-called for. Its funny since in all your other reports, be it in your country or other countries, you never mentioned their religion but somehow you find it relevant to mention, "Despite its reputation as a conservative, predominantly Muslim nation, Malaysia has a thriving sex industry". What exactly are you trying to say? Its as if you forget that sick-minded people come in all shapes, colours, nationality or even religion. Shame on you.

For people trying to make money overseas to support their family, be very wary with the so-called agents who offers lucrative jobs. Its a basic rule of thumb, if you dont have the experience nor qualificatons, you will not get paid a lot, unless of course its your own company but if it is, there wont be any 'agent's involve will it? If you cant sing, dont apply for a job to be a singer.

Summarizing the story. A filipino woman sent to a nursing school in the philippines by her aunt and her american husband so she can work in the united states. she failed the exam thus her dream was put on hold. Offered a job as a singer in Malaysia when she was in a church. Trapped in the human traffic ring. Saved by her uncles' ex-fbi friend gung-ho styled. Returned to her family in the philippines and she seems happy, according to the interview w chris hansen with her limited english. Not mentioned in the story is whether her dream of coming to the US is going to be materialised or not. Its a matter of time.

12 comments:

Cat Cat said...

Darn, I missed the dateline last night and completely missed the show.
Sounds like a bad reputation to our beloved country. What a bummer. Oh well!

Rita Ho said...

Farina .. Was it real footage? It comes across more like a reenactment in most parts. I too find the report somewhat bias and incomplete. A lot of unexplained circumstances. They should have also investigated the agent at the Philippines end and the naiveness of the victim and her family. Why not consult your apparently influential US relatives/in-laws to do a check before venturing out? Still it is disgusting of the Malaysian culprits involved. Let's see what the authorities come up with. Sigh.

Sharkman said...

a prostitute once engaged me to be her lawyer. i was quite excited until it turned out she just wanted to buy a house.

Pi Bani said...

You're right, sick-minded people come in all shapes, colours, nationality or even religion.

The problem is when the innocent people looking for jobs in other countries get tricked into following the illegal channels instead of using the proper channels.

Salt N Turmeric said...

Kak Ram, kalau missed kat tv boleh tengok online tho im pretty sure theyr gonna show it a few more times on msnbc.

Rita, it looked like real footage rather than enactment to me. im w u on the 'influential' connections. ;) at the moment, just wait and seelah wht our authorities are gonna do esp to those 2 buggers. buat malu orang Malaysia aje esp tht doctor. gynae pulak tu!

Sharkman, no matter wht the profession of ur clients, u stil get paid wht? ;P

PiBani, thanks for visiting my blog. Unfortunately some ppl see the $$$ and ignores all the redlights/signs.

Anonymous said...

I saw the whole thing on TV too. I feel sorry for these girls but felt that the ex FBI agent was patronising & arrogant too. Not a fan of Chris Hansen either..remember his "To catch a predator" series on Dateline? Some of those men deserve to be caught + punished but many were "set up" in my opinion.He practices "guerilla" or "ambush" journalism and even set up this attorney in Texas who shot himself when they descended on his home with cameras.Having said all that though,the "flesh" trade and human trafficking are vile and should be stopped wherever they occur.

NorthBorneoGirl said...

Human trafficking is rampant all over the world .. just hard to eradicate it completely .. it's demand and supply .. anyways thanks for the link managed to see it online ... I think it's only one side of the coin though .. as for Chris Hansen's reporting some remarks were definitely uncalled for!

J.T. said...

When people are in front of cameras and they are doing the 'hero's' job, they tend to put on a little more. Thus the arrogance. That's my opinion anyway. :)

Despite that, I think they did a good thing getting that girl out, whichever way they could.
Pity though, they only had a one-sided story. Where is the person who was responsible for 'discovering' her in church? Why wasn't he/she interviewed?

It is embarassing that they put Malaysia in such a bad light. Why aren't the authorities doing anything about it? This doctor and Kenny Kang guy should be exposed ... locally.

Chris Hansen's reporting is the kind most people enjoy today, unfortunately. Just like people hunger for reality TV. (I am tired of both).

Thanks for an interesting post. :)

Salt N Turmeric said...

kl_gal, i felt the same abt 'to catch a predator'. i dont agree w how tht segment was done. they shud changed the title to "setting up innocent men' or something.

Envy, ur most welcome. one-sided story indeed.

J.T, u saw it too ya? lol! i too cannot tahan the arrogance showed by the 'hero'. they did interview the person in hiring her in the philippines. she was put in jail (as shown in the show). and yup, the show is becoming more like 'reality tv' rather than real reporting. u shud really watch 'to catch a predator' to kno wht i mean.

صانعة الحرية said...

beace be up on you
this is the first visit to your blog but it will not be the last one
and i invite you to visit my blog
http://habibona.blogspot.com/

Zue Murphy said...

PJ, I cannot watch this kind of story, tooooo hurtful. Geram and really sick to my stomach. Believe it or not, there are people who didn't think that this act is wrong.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for writing this.