Most of the 12,000 Thais employed in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates are illegal workers who were either lured with promises of high pay. There are only about 4,500 who are fully and correctly documented.
Nipa Nirannoot, the Thai consul-general in Dubai, said many Thai women have been lured to work in massage parlours, but end up being forced into prostitution. Others work in online gambling or scam networks, lured with the promise of work in oil fields and abandoned once they arrive there, she said.
She admitted, however, that the Thai embassy or consular office cannot directly help the Thai victims, unless they have sought help from the local police first.
The Thai consul-general said Thais needing to help can either call 999, even on a cell phone without a SIM card, through the Dubai police application or Facebook.
She said that those working illegally in Dubai face legal action and will be blacklisted. She also said that they have given Thailand a less than positive image, which reflects badly on traditional Thai massage, which has been registered as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
