Family of five held as bonded slaves after failure to repay loan

[Firefox]

Tuesday December 28, 2010

Family of five held as bonded slaves after failure to repay loan

A FAMILY of five, including three young children, were forced to work as bonded slaves for four years after the father failed to settle a loan taken from their employer in Bahau, Negri Sembilan, Tamil Nesan reported.

Their plight came to light only after the 31-year-old man and his family fled from the estate on Dec 19 with the help of a taxi driver and approached the Astivaram Foundation for help.

The foundation’s public complaints bureau chief, Sri Sanjivan, told a press conference on Sunday that the employer, a well-known businessman in Bahau, had kept the family under tight security and had forced the family to work in the plantations.

The parents had to tap the rubber trees in the morning and work in the oil palm plantation later in the day.

“The children, aged four to 11, were not allowed to attend school and were forced to do household chores,” Sri Sanjivan said.

The family had originally taken a loan of RM5,000 from the businessman but since they could not pay back the loan, the family had to work without any wages for the past four years.

Sri Sanjivan said the employer wants the family to pay him RM13,000 for their “release”.

He said two police reports have been made, one at Air Hitam and the other at Jempol, but claimed the police had refused to get involved.

 

[Chun Li]

Friday December 31, 2010

No truth to bonded slavery claims

SEREMBAN: Police have refuted claims by a couple that they and their three young children were forced to work as bonded slaves for four years at a plantation in Jempol after the father failed to settle a loan from his employer.

The cops have also denied an allegation by the 31-year-old husband that the police had not acted against his employer despite him lodging two reports.

State OCCI ACP Hamdan Majid said police investigations revealed that the employer had been paying the couple’s salary and EPF and Socso contributions as well.

“There is no such thing as forced slavery or wrongful confinement as the family was free to go anywhere they wished,” he said.

Last week the father had, at a press conference arranged by the Astivaram Foundation, claimed that a well-known businessman in Bahau had kept the family under tight security and forced them to work without a salary.

He alleged that both his wife and he had to tap rubber trees in the mornings and work in the oil palm plantation later in the day.

The man also claimed that his children, aged between four and 11 were also not allowed to attend school and were forced to do household chores.

He had claimed that he took a RM5,000 loan from the employer and the family had to work without any wages for the past four years.

The employer, he claimed, wants him to pay him RM13,000 for their release.

ACP Hamdan said the employer had allowed the couple to perform light duties as they often fell sick.

ACP Hamdan said police have not been able to record the complainant’s statement as he has since disappeared.