Workplace abuse: Japanese restaurant owner in Bangkok accused of abusing young waitress for years
A brutal case of workplace abuse was reported in a Japanese restaurant located in Bangkok where the owner physically tortured a 21 year old waitress. The victim, identified as A, revealed her ordeal of being subjected to horrific physical abuse, culminating in intense burns all over her body.
The workplace abuse case was brought to light yesterday, October 24, when an advisor to the Minister of the Interior and founder of the Silk Line Survival page, Ekaphop Luangprasert, accompanied the young victim to request assistance from Royal Thai Police Deputy Commissioner Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn.
The victim, A, revealed that she had started working at the Phasi Charoen-based restaurant in Bangkok at the age of 16, introduced by a senior colleague. After a brief period of quitting, she returned to the restaurant at 17 and has been enduring workplace abuse for the past year.
A’s responsibilities included serving food, washing dishes, and closing the restaurant, sometimes waking up at 8am to prepare the restaurant. She was only able to sleep for three to four hours a day and had to sleep in the kitchen using a water bottle as a pillow.
Her meals were limited to one meal a day consisting of rice and eggs, sometimes leftover food if customers left any. If the restaurant owner found out she ate more, she was physically abused. She never received any salary, and the last time she received any money was 50 baht during the Thai New Year.
The restaurant owner punished her in various ways for alleged misconduct. She was scalded with hot water, had her mouth burned with a gas can, was choked with an electric cord until she fainted, and was burned all over her body with a knife and a gas can. Despite her pleas, the owner justified the workplace abuse by blaming her for customer complaints.
Pregnant
The reason A stayed was because of her child. At the age of 17, A became pregnant and gave birth. The restaurant offered to cover all the costs of the childbirth which came to 10,000 baht. In addition, when A’s father had an accident and broke his leg, the restaurant owner took care of the medical costs until he recovered.
The owner also reported A’s husband for kidnapping a minor as she was just 17 years old when she got pregnant. Currently, her husband has served his sentence.
The restaurant owner suggested that A should leave her child at a foundation, arguing that she would not be able to take care of the child herself. Trusting the owner, A agreed and has not seen her child in the last two years.
A was afraid to report her situation to the police because the restaurant owner claimed to know senior police officers. However, yesterday evening, she fled and sought help from the Silk Line Survival page, reported KhaoSod.
Big Joke acknowledged the workplace abuse case and stated that it was under the jurisdiction of Phasi Charoen Police Station.
He assured the victim that there was nothing complicated about the case and would summon the Director of Phasi Charoen Police Station for further discussion and joint interrogation of the victim. His investigation team and the Ministry of Labour would seek court approval for an arrest warrant as soon as possible.
The initial investigation did not find any evidence of the restaurant owner’s connections with influential people in the area. The 52 year old deputy commissioner urged the public to report any suspicious activities to the local police immediately.
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