Drug slave tells her story

Locked up, beaten and forced to swallow bags of drugs to bring illegally to other country, she is the talk of internet webboards.

Photo above is an X-ray showing packages that a drug mule swallowed to hide illegal drugs they were smuggling (Source: Wikipedia)

Click button to listen to Captive Woman download

Crimes

Woman held captive in drug plan

20/11/2012
Online Reporters

SAMUT PRAKAN: A Nigerian national was accused of raping a Thai woman, holding her captive for over a week and forcing her to practice swallowing drugs so she could be used to smuggle cocaine to the US, reports said.

Police on Monday rescued a 29-year-old woman (name withheld) who was locked in a rented room in an apartment complex in Muang district.

According to the police, the victim was lured to the room by a Nigerian man called Maxie.

The woman said she met the suspect on a dating website and had been chatting with him for a while before he asked her to meet with him to discuss a business opportunity. He claimed to be working in the travel industry.

"I went there because he told me that he would help me to get to the US to meet my father who lives there,” she told the police

She met him at his room on Nov 12 where she was raped, brutally beaten and locked up. She said he took away her ID card and her phone.

According to the victim, the suspect forced her to swallow condoms that were filled with powder every day during her captivity.

He told her that she needed to practice because he would use her to smuggle cocaine to the US.

She said the suspect told her that he would get her a passport and send her to the US on Nov 22 and someone would pick her up when she arrived at her destination. She said he told her that he would pay her 60,000 baht for the trip.

She told police that she tried to escape every time he left the room. She tried to write notes and slid them under the door or dropped them from the balcony, hoping that someone would read them and come to her rescue

"I also banged on the room door and yelled at the top of my  voice but people living in the apartment complex didn’t care,” she said. “They probably thought we were husband and wife and didn’t want to get involved."

She succeeded in getting help after the suspect forgot his phone and left it in the room. The victim contacted one of her friends at a radio station who contacted the police to rescue her.

Police said they are tracking down the suspect.

Meanwhile, a heated debate about the issue is firing up on social media platforms.

Many posters on different webboards felt sorry for the victim and called for harsh punishment for the Nigerian man and to foreigners who take advantage of Thai women and trick or force them to smuggle drugs across the country or sell them as sex slaves.

However, quite a number of posters questioned her story.

One poster said he didn’t believe the woman could be so naïve as to be so easily lured by the Nigerian man.

After all, we have seen in the news where Thai women have been arrested in several countries on drug smuggling charges and the majority of the cases involve drug gangs from Nigeria, the poster said.

Those imprisoned women should serve as a lesson for Thai women not to be so easily lured by the charms and money of a stranger.

"If it was a business meeting, she should have met him at a more appropriate place. I’m sure there is more to the story. Let’s not presume that the suspect is guilty until we hear his side of the story,” another poster commented.

One poster questioned the lack of response to her cries by her neighbors. He said he couldn’t believe that in an apartment complex where many families reside, there was not a single decent person who cared to help a woman in distress. The poster said it is quite odd that the people in the building mistook a cry for help as a fight between a husband and wife.

Many posters agreed that this should serve as a lesson to Thai women who see foreigners as a cash cow.

One poster said: “These women are easily tricked by drug dealers and sex traders because they are blinded by greed. In the end they have no one else but themselves to blame."

(Source: Bangkok Post, Crimes, Woman held captive in drug plan, 20/11/2012, Online Reporters, link) 


Crime Vocabulary

smuggle - bring goods into a country illegally ลักลอบนำเข้า ลักลอบขนสินค้าหรือคนเข้า และออกจากประเทศอย่างผิดกฎหมาย (See Wikipedia)
smuggle drugs
smuggle cocaine to the US

drug mule - the people used to transport drugs through dangerous places like airports often swallowing the drug (See Wikipedia)

captive - people will not let you leave a place, in jail, imprisoned, without freedom เชลย ผู้ที่ถูกข้าศึกจับตัวได้
hold captive
captivity - the condition or state of being a captive

Woman held captive in drug plan

slave - a person who is owned or controlled by another, not allowed to go free ทาส
drug slave

national - a citizen of a particular country ประชาชน
Nigerian national

rape - when a person has sex with a person who does not want to have sex; sexual assault; involuntary sex การข่มขืน
a Nigerian national was accused of raping a Thai woman

swallow - when something goes down your throat to the stomach like food กลืน
swallow drugs

force - to make a person do something (so they must do it, have no choice) compel, drive บังคับ, บีบคั้น, บีบบังคับ, ยัดเยียด
practice  - do something many times until you can do it perfectly, drill, train ฝึกซ้อม, ซ้อม, ฝึกฝน, ทำเป็นกิจวัตร
forcing her to practice swallowing drugs so she could be used to smuggle cocaine to the US

holding her captive for over a week and forcing her to practice swallowing drugs so she could be used to smuggle cocaine to the US, reports said.


name withheld - they did not give people the name (release to the public, say publicly)

complex - an area that has several parts
apartment complex - a set of apartment buildings that are part of the same place

the woman was locked in a rented room in an apartment complex in Muang district.

victim - someone who ahs been harmed, injured or killed as the result of a crime เหยื่อผู้เคราะห์ร้าย
lure - do things to make a person or animal come to you
the victim was lured to the room by a Nigerian man called Maxie.

suspect - a person who is thought to have committed a crime ผู้ต้องสงสัย
The woman met the suspect on a dating website

opportunity - a situation when it is possible to do something that you want to do (See glossary)
business opportunity
he asked her to meet with him to discuss a business opportunity

claim - say something is true, without proving it is true yet
He claimed to be working in the travel industry.

brutally - in an extremely violent or cruel way อย่างโหดร้าย
brutally beaten - hit a person in a violent way
she was raped, brutally beaten and locked up

ID card - the card that people carry in a country to show who they are

condoms
swallow condoms

According to the victim, the suspect forced her to swallow condoms that were filled with powder every day during her captivity.

destination - the place where someone or something is going จุดหมายปลายทาง
arrive at destination
 
pick up - meet a person when they arrive at place to bring them somewhere
someone would pick her up when she arrived at her destination.

rescue - to save someone form a dangerous or unpleasant situation ช่วยชีวิต
She tried to write notes and slid them under the door hoping that someone would read them and come to her rescue

bang - hit hard with hand การตีอย่างแรง
bang on door - hit the door hard with your hand

yell - say something in a very loud voice ร้อง
yell at top of your voice
yell at top of your lungs

I also banged on the room door and yelled at the top of her voice but people living in the apartment complex didn’t care

get involved
didn't want to get involved
They probably thought we were husband and wife and didn’t want to get involved

contacted
radio station
The victim contacted one of her friends at a radio station who contacted the police to rescue her.

tracking down - finding, looking for something, searching for someone
suspect - someone who people believe might have done a crime

Police said they are tracking down the suspect

debate - a discussion or formal argument on an issue between people with different views (See Wikipedia)
heated debate - very emotional and strong worded, angry debate

issue - a subject that people discuss or argue about ประเด็น
a heated debate about the issue

firing up - starting to get very emotional
social media platforms - websites like facebook, twitter
a heated debate about the issue is firing up on social media platforms

feel sorry for - when you feel sad about some bad thing that happened to another person
Many posters on different webboards felt sorry for the victim

harsh - strict, unkind and very strong อย่างรุนแรง
punishment - การลงโทษ

harsh punishment
called for harsh punishment for the Nigerian man

take advantage of
foreigners who take advantage of Thai women

trick - lie to and deceive a person to get something from a person such as money หลอกลวง
force - strong and violent action กำลัง ความรุนแรง
sex slaves
trick or force women to smuggle drugs across the country or sell them as sex slaves

quite a number - a large number
posters - people who write comments at websites
questioned her story - think her story may not be true
quite a number of posters questioned her story.

naive - simple and not understanding much, like a small child เชื่อง,ซื่อๆ,ไร้เดียงสา,เหมือนเด็ก
One poster said he didn’t believe the woman could be so naïve as to be so easily lured by the Nigerian man.

charges - bring a criminal case against a person
majority - more than 50 percent of a group ส่วนมาก เสียงส่วนมากคนส่วนใหญ่ ส่วนใหญ่
After all, we have seen in the news where Thai women have been arrested in several countries on drug smuggling charges and the majority of the cases involve drug gangs from Nigeria, the poster said.

imprisoned women

serve as a lesson for
serve as a lesson for Thai women

charms  - attractiveness, things that make you like a person ความเย้ายวนใจ
so easily lured by the charms and money of a stranger
Those imprisoned women should serve as a lesson for Thai women not to be so easily lured by the charms and money from a stranger.

meeting - when a group of people come together to discuss issues and make decisions การประชุม
business meeting

meet at a more appropriate place
If it was a business meeting, she should have met him at a more appropriate place.

there is more to the story - you do not know the whole story yet
I’m sure there is more to the story.

presume - assume or believe something before getting proof that it is really true
guilty - proven to have committed a crime; having been decided by a court of law that you committed the crime your were accused of มีความผิด
his side of the story 
Let’s not presume that the suspect is guilty until we hear his side of the story,” another poster commented.

lack - does not have ขาดแคลน
lack of response

questioned - think that it may not be true
questioned the lack of response to her cries

reside - to live in a particular place อยู่อาศัย
an apartment complex where many families reside

decent - has acceptable standard or quality
a decent person - a good person, a person who behaves in a good way to other people
not a single decent person

distress - a feeling that you have when you are very unhappy, worried or upset ความกังวลใจ
a woman in distress

odd - strange or unexpected แปลก
it is quite odd that

One poster questioned the lack of response to her cries by her neighbors. He said he couldn’t believe that in an apartment complex where many families reside, there was not a single decent person who cared to help a woman in distress. The poster said it is quite odd that the people in the building mistook a cry for help as a fight between a husband and wife.

cash - money เงินสด
a cash cow - some business or activity that you can a lot of money from

Many posters agreed that this should serve as a lesson to Thai women who see foreigners as a cash cow.

dealers - people who sell some kind of thing (example: antique dealer)
drug dealers - criminals who sell drugs

traders - people who buy and sell things
sex traders - criminals who buy and sell women that they use for prostitution

greed - the desire to have a lot more of something than other people, more than is fair; a strong wish to have more money, things or power than you need ความโลภ
blinded by greed

One poster said: “These women are easily tricked by drug dealers and sex traders because they are blinded by greed. In the end they have no one else but themselves to blame."