(Courtesy of SPD Facebook)
MANILA – Sixteen Thai nationals allegedly doing forced labor for a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) were rescued in Pampanga before dawn Saturday.
Brig. Gen. Kirby John Kraft, Southern Police District (SPD) chief, said in a statement on Sunday that operatives from the District Special Operations Unit, Regional Special Operations Group of the National Capital Region Police Office, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, and Mabalacat City police launched the operation at Fontana inside Clark Freeport Zone.
The rescue was hatched after Minister Counsellor Kriteya Lepkao of the Royal Thai Embassy in Manila informed Kraft on Thursday about a report that there were Thai nationals who were being forced to work beyond their official hours but were not receiving overtime pay from their employer, Shedaikeji Technology.
The passports of the 16 Thai nationals will be turned over to the Thai Embassy on Monday.
The rescued employees will not file charges anymore as they prefer to immediately return home, according to the SPD report.
“The PNP (Philippine National Police), with the help of other participating agencies, has already started a crackdown against human trafficking and POGO-related activities,” Kraft said. (With a report from Lloyd Caliwan/PNA)
