TODAY -
Trafficking Victims recount their ordeal
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, October 13 2008: Recounting their ordeal, the five Zeliangrong girls who were taken to Singapore on promises of jobs but landed up in a night club at Malaysia have said that agent Rickey Ho who took them to Malaysia and sold them off in a night club is a 'dangerous man' and any girl or boy from Manipur who are planning to go to Singapore under his guidance or other agents who have connection with him should stop at once.

Talking to mediapersons at the office of Rongmei Naga Baptist Association located at Langol Tarung here today, the five girls said the agent Rickey Ho is a Chinese who runs an NGO from Singapore and always tries to lure Manipuri girls to come to Singapore and Malaysia where he exploits them.

The five girls informed that Rickey even watches Manipuri films and keep the photographs of Manipuri actors and actresses stored in his computer.

They said that at present there may be more than 100 girls from Manipur in Singapore and Malaysia who have been recruited by Rickey Ho.

In Singapore, the girls were made to work as domestic helps but not in Malaysia, the five girls said, adding that only when they told the truth they are not prostitutes that they managed to escape from the last hotel in Malaysia where they were kept locked up.

Before the escape, one man had even come to solicit them inside the hotel room.

But when they told the truth, he left quietly without saying any word, the five victims said.

While staying at Malaysia, two agents working under Rickey Ho namely Mike and Sheela had tortured them so much so that they had even thought of committing suicide.

Expressing gratitude to SDPO Tamenglong and other NGOs who have helped them in coming back to Imphal safely, the five girls said that they would remain indebted and never be able to forget the help throughout their life.

Meanwhile, it is said that the whereabouts of three more young girls, two from Thangal Village under Nungba Sub-division of Tamenglong District and the other from Nengsai village, have not been known after they have been taken to Singapore.

One Lungchui Golmei , a resident of Thangal village, who was present during the press conference identified the three missing girls as Shanti Maringmai (20) d/o Ading, Merry Maringmai (18) d/o Nungreiba and Tabitha d/o Kumar Meitei.

Three of them have been reportedly gone together along with Ningtingliu (17), younger sister of Merry Maringmai sometime during the month of February-March this year.

However, Ningtingliu has returned back.

Golmei informed that for the first two-three months, the family members used to have contact with the three girls but not any more.

It has been known that one person from Loktak Project area had taken the three girls.

But the name of the person has not yet been able to identity, Golmei said, while informing he would convince the worried family members to take up the matter with Rongmei Women Union, Naga People Movement for Human Rights and Zeliangrong Students' Union and seek help in tracing the missing girls.

The president of Rongmei Naga Women's Organisation (Assam, Manipur and Nagaland) Panti Golmei has called upon all the social organisations for co-operation in rescuing the rest of the girls who are currently living in Malaysia as well as in stopping trafficking of young girls from Manipur in future.





SPONSORED ADS