Singapore's forest brothels

[Badder]

Not new to most but i think its good to keep a perspective on how thin the vernier of decency can be not far away from our shinny towers and clean safe streets lies......

 

 

 

 

Singapore's forest brothels

 

by Erika Fry

Singapore is a choice destination for many Thai 'working girls', but an unknown number are trafficked to remote locations on the edge of the city where they are essentially held as sex slaves

Not far outside central Singapore, across from one of the city-state's foreign worker dormitories, is a small forest.

It appears ordinary enough - just trees, separated from the pavement by a steep embankment. If one looks closely, there is a trail; and if one is curious enough, it leads to a clearing that even at first glance, appears - part-dump, part-deserted camp - not quite right.

There's a spirit house at the base of a ribbon-wrapped tree, and just beyond that a cache of futons that have been flung in the brush. Tree branches are knotted with plastic bags. The site is strewn with beer cans, water bottles, planks of cardboard and a tremendous number of condom wrappers.

Yet what looks abandoned and random by day is reassembled and ready for business by night. The futons are brought out of the brush and laid on the cardboard mats, and a group of Thai ladies are brought in - either from forest hideouts or cheap hotels in Singapore's red light district - and lined up on a log bench.

There, they'll wait for their customers - Bangladeshis, Thais, Indians, an international coterie of foreign workers, almost all of whom will wander over from the dormitory across the road.

During the course of the night, a woman might service 20 men. She'll dispose of the condoms in the hanging plastic bags and wash herself using the water bottles provided. The air will be thick with mosquitoes, and she'll have sex, with ambiance and privacy provided by a tarpaulin, for S$10 or S$20 a session.

However un-Singaporean this may sound, such sites - also known as "forest brothels" - are long-established and relatively common in the tightly-regulated city-state.

Usually located in wooded areas surrounding Singapore's foreign worker dormitories (these tend to be zoned in areas on the outskirts of the city), the sites serve as one of the few - also the cheapest - sexual outlets available to the hundreds of thousands of men that migrate to Singapore on annual construction contracts (there are an estimated 43,800 from Thailand).

A handful of Thai workers who lived at a variety of Singapore's worker sites, and were well-connected with the Thai community there, estimated that several hundred women work in Singapore's forest brothels at any one time.

The sites are also the destination for a number of Thai women - by almost all standards (though not Singapore's) trafficking victims - whose migration stories have usually taken an unanticipated and sinister twist.

Though the story comes in countless variations, the women working in the forest camps are almost invariably doing so against their will, says Bridget Lew, founder and president of Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (HOME), an NGO in Singapore that runs a shelter to assist foreign workers. "No one wants to be there," she says, explaining that the women have been drawn through deception, and are then held captive in a "circle of fear".

"They don't know where to run," she says. "They are in the middle of the forest in a country they don't know. They are scared of the authorities because they are foreigners."

While anecdotal evidence suggests many of these operations exist, and persist largely due to Singaporean policy - what many call its "blind eye" approach to trafficking and the strict sexual code that governs its migrant workers (see sidebar) - little is being done to stop them or amend policy.

"It's quite complicated," says Dr Pattana Kitiarsa, a Thai anthropologist who teaches at National University Singapore and who has studied the issue extensively. "These women know what job they are on, but can't accept the conditions. It becomes a trafficking problem because the women can't stand, and were not prepared for the conditions. They expect to work for clients, but were not expecting to sleep on the ground with mosquitoes and no toilets."

He adds that in many cases, the women are held in debt bondage to the agents who brought them to Singapore.

Pattana explained that the nuances of the situation, that sometimes the women intended to work both illegally and in the sex industry, are at the heart of Singapore's argument that this is not trafficking and that such women are criminals, and not victims.

Those interviewed for this story (a Singaporean police officer among them) speculated that policing of forest brothels is rare because they are silent, out-of-sight operations that don't cause trouble for Singapore or its citizen

[Expertz]

i think its just degrading to let a stranger violate you for a mere $10; not even enough for a proper meal!

[Zyrofillica]

i think its just degrading to let a stranger violate you for a mere $10; not even enough for a proper meal!

 

hehe.... 9 yrs ago during ns days, i was already doing alot of "ops" in these areas. i was very shocked also when the girls told me 10 dollar one pop.

[Ethene]

hehe.... 9 yrs ago during ns days, i was already doing alot of "ops" in these areas. i was very shocked also when the girls told me 10 dollar one pop.

 

where is it exactly ?

[The_Bear]

hehe.... 9 yrs ago during ns days, i was already doing alot of "ops" in these areas. i was very shocked also when the girls told me 10 dollar one pop.

 

did you tip?

[Sosaria]

...

Those interviewed for this story (a Singaporean police officer among them) speculated that policing of forest brothels is rare because they are silent, out-of-sight operations that don't cause trouble for Singapore or its citizen

 

Yup, but just read in today's papers that a raid was carried out in the east side "forest" area. So I guess the authorities do clean up the situation from time to time.

 

I think they are just being pragmatic as usual. There's an entire army of foreign workers out there. Can you imagine what the situation will be like if they have no such outlet for cheap sexual release?? Definitely there will be more sex crimes, or more fights due to increased aggression, etc.

 

Want to throw all these workers out also cannot, as there is great dependence on them, like it or not.

 

So no choice but to 'close one eye' lah... I think even the dorm operators know what is going on, but since the activities keep the workers happy and quiet and sex-tisfied... well, I think they're perfectly okay with the way things are.

Edited October 27, 2011 by Sosaria

[Zxcvb]

Dun be so morally uptight lah. Casino is already fully endorsed by our government, prostitution is a close sibling of gambling vice. They close one-eye on it. As long as nobody is hurt, all is well. Like someone said here, there are 10s or even 100s of thousands male foreign worker here. What do you expect?

[Joseph22]

i think its just degrading to let a stranger violate you for a mere $10; not even enough for a proper meal!

 

degrading aside.

 

but $10.00 is more than enough for a proper meal.

 

its a question of whether you want to eat in Hawker, Kopitiam or Resturant.

[Joseph22]

Dun be so morally uptight lah. Casino is already fully endorsed by our government, prostitution is a close sibling of gambling vice. They close one-eye on it. As long as nobody is hurt, all is well. Like someone said here, there are 10s or even 100s of thousands male foreign worker here. What do you expect?

they didnt close one eyes. they consolidated it at geyland. prositution in singapore need license and regular check up. those illegal one are consider more dangerous.

Edited October 28, 2011 by Joseph22

[KARTer]

As the saying goes, this is the oldest trade in human history, nohting can stop it and it's everywhere....

 

On a side notes, maybe its existence helps reduce rape cases committed by low-earning FWs??? they gotta have an outlet (an affordable one, and with familiar faces) being thousands of miles away from wife/gfs...........

 

It's hardeared money for the suppliers of such happiness, the pimps are the exploiters

 

Not new to most but i think its good to keep a perspective on how thin the vernier of decency can be not far away from our shinny towers and clean safe streets lies......

 

Singapore's forest brothels

 

by Erika Fry

Singapore is a choice destination for many Thai 'working girls', but an unknown number are trafficked to remote locations on the edge of the city where they are essentially held as sex slaves

Not far outside central Singapore, across from one of the city-state's foreign worker dormitories, is a small forest.

It appears ordinary enough - just trees, separated from the pavement by a steep embankment. If one looks closely, there is a trail; and if one is curious enough, it leads to a clearing that even at first glance, appears - part-dump, part-deserted camp - not quite right.

There's a spirit house at the base of a ribbon-wrapped tree, and just beyond that a cache of futons that have been flung in the brush. Tree branches are knotted with plastic bags. The site is strewn with beer cans, water bottles, planks of cardboard and a tremendous number of condom wrappers.

Yet what looks abandoned and random by day is reassembled and ready for business by night. The futons are brought out of the brush and laid on the cardboard mats, and a group of Thai ladies are brought in - either from forest hideouts or cheap hotels in Singapore's red light district - and lined up on a log bench.

There, they'll wait for their customers - Bangladeshis, Thais, Indians, an international coterie of foreign workers, almost all of whom will wander over from the dormitory across the road.

During the course of the night, a woman might service 20 men. She'll dispose of the condoms in the hanging plastic bags and wash herself using the water bottles provided. The air will be thick with mosquitoes, and she'll have sex, with ambiance and privacy provided by a tarpaulin, for S$10 or S$20 a session.

However un-Singaporean this may sound, such sites - also known as "forest brothels" - are long-established and relatively common in the tightly-regulated city-state.

Usually located in wooded areas surrounding Singapore's foreign worker dormitories (these tend to be zoned in areas on the outskirts of the city), the sites serve as one of the few - also the cheapest - sexual outlets available to the hundreds of thousands of men that migrate to Singapore on annual construction contracts (there are an estimated 43,800 from Thailand).

A handful of Thai workers who lived at a variety of Singapore's worker sites, and were well-connected with the Thai community there, estimated that several hundred women work in Singapore's forest brothels at any one time.

The sites are also the destination for a number of Thai women - by almost all standards (though not Singapore's) trafficking victims - whose migration stories have usually taken an unanticipated and sinister twist.

Though the story comes in countless variations, the women working in the forest camps are almost invariably doing so against their will, says Bridget Lew, founder and president of Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (HOME), an NGO in Singapore that runs a shelter to assist foreign workers. "No one wants to be there," she says, explaining that the women have been drawn through deception, and are then held captive in a "circle of fear".

"They don't know where to run," she says. "They are in the middle of the forest in a country they don't know. They are scared of the authorities because they are foreigners."

While anecdotal evidence suggests many of these operations exist, and persist largely due to Singaporean policy - what many call its "blind eye" approach to trafficking and the strict sexual code that governs its migrant workers (see sidebar) - little is being done to stop them or amend policy.

"It's quite complicated," says Dr Pattana Kitiarsa, a Thai anthropologist who teaches at National University Singapore and who has studied the issue extensively. "These women know what job they are on, but can't accept the conditions. It becomes a trafficking problem because the women can't stand, and were not prepared for the conditions. They expect to work for clients, but were not expecting to sleep on the ground with mosquitoes and no toilets."

He adds that in many cases, the women are held in debt bondage to the agents who brought them to Singapore.

Pattana explained that the nuances of the situation, that sometimes the women intended to work both illegally and in the sex industry, are at the heart of Singapore's argument that this is not trafficking and that such women are criminals, and not victims.

Those interviewed for this story (a Singaporean police officer among them) speculated that policing of forest brothels is rare because they are silent, out-of-sight operations that don't cause trouble for Singapore or its citizen

 

[Passion]

I was once told Geylang was made for FW to have their release.i'm damn sure it wasn't the case,how can the bangala got 50 per shot?their monthly salary was only 600 to 800 dollars.not even enough to eat. How to be sexually satisfied?

[Sosaria]

degrading aside.

 

but $10.00 is more than enough for a proper meal.

 

its a question of whether you want to eat in Hawker, Kopitiam or Resturant.

 

...It's a question of whether you want to do it with social escort, at geylang, or in the forest...

[Sosaria]

I was once told Geylang was made for FW to have their release.i'm damn sure it wasn't the case,how can the bangala got 50 per shot?their monthly salary was only 600 to 800 dollars.not even enough to eat. How to be sexually satisfied?

 

And here we're only considering the male FW... how about the female ones?? Your maids, etc. They also have suppressed needs while working here, you know, but no outlet!

[ChickenMob]

Those forest brothel will only be exposed if Mas Selamat runs away again.

 

That time when Mas Selamat ran off, the police combed the whole woodlands forest caught all the

illegal immigrants , overstayers and prositutes making the police station flooded.

 

now i dun thing the police will do anything unless someone complains .

[Zyrofillica]

where is it exactly ?

Pandan reservoir industrial area there is a forested area. bukit timah forested area. dunno if still have. that was like 8 years ago.

[Zyrofillica]

did you tip?

 

tip them with handcuff counted?

[The_Bear]

tip them with handcuff counted?

$10 can do that? It's really worth it. Never knew you are into that too

[Passion]

$10 can do that? It's really worth it. Never knew you are into that too

Give you you want? The condition there not suitable for making love lah. Got insect and animal. Like flinestone like that. Do already cannot wash up. The woman offer BJ I also don't dare to let her blow. Imagine her mouth, blow so many blangala and PRC. No listerine or water to rinse and blow you.

Edited October 29, 2011 by Passion