In the news today:
A China woman was drowned when trying to enter Singapore illegally. A speedboat from Malaysia carried two Chinese Nationals, a man and a woman, approached Pulau Ubin at night, the two then were told to alight in the water. They refused because it’s still too far from the land, but they were kicked out. The man managed to swim to the shore, arrested by the Coast Guard, the boat turned around and sped back to Johor, while the woman drown shortly after.
It happens in the world, during war, unease, Depression. Most Chinese that I know including me can say that at one point of their generation, parents, great parents or great great parents found their home now by entering other countries with all means. I personally know a friend who was a boat people himself, from Vietnam he landed in Australia. He had become a part of high class society now, which is probably, the motivation and the dreams of immigrants.
These cases don’t belong to the past. Not anymore, not always. There are still, many, people trying to enter countries they perceive can provide a better life for them. Some pay money, some pay even with their life, just like the case above. How ironic and tragic.
And worse, behind all those, there are bloodsuckers who don’t hesitate to live off from other people’s blood, sweat and tears.
They act as employment or immigrant agency and require those who are willing to pay big sum of money to get them into Singapore. Legal or illegal, some pay as much as S$3000 like the China woman, some pay S$10000 to secure a job with two years contract that might earn them less that what they fork out at the end of two years. The difference between both, one is motorized by bloodsuckers; the other is by legal bloodsuckers.
A person whom I know, works 13 hours a day 7 days a week with one day off per month, and to retrieve that day off is sort of miracle, because she often called back to work. Her contract expires soon and she says there is almost no hope she could get renewal unless she pays again. She paid S$9000 for the two years contract and earns much less that ten percent of it monthly. She needs to eat, pay rent, bills and sends money to family she left behind. I tried to help her find another job, but it seems like impossible task because everything requires either citizenship, work permit or education.
Why employee never renew her contract? I will stand corrected if someone cares to prove me wrong, because it’s easier for them to look for new people who are willing to take over the job, and they also might get big fat commission from another agent that supply the workers, using the money paid by the people they mistreats everyday, which for all we know, earned from years of hardworks and savings or family heir to pursue a dreams.
Not so long ago, in this same year, in other part of the world there are cases of people trafficking through meat chiller. Men, women, children are cramped together in inhuman temperature inside. And others. And others.
This case is just another tragic case. Soon it’ll be filed into the report, and collects dust and adds yet another statistic.
But the bloodsuckers are lurking around still, with their charismatic smiles.
