Urairat Soimee

Urairat Soimee (อุไรรัตน์ สร้อยมี) (1968 - May 2006) was a victim of human trafficking in Japan. She was from Phetchabun's Lom Sak district in Thailand and had lived in Yokkaichi, a town in the Mie Prefecture of Japan, where she was forced into prostitution. She was incarcerated for several years in a Japanese prison until she was released in September 2005 due to the development of a terminal form of ovarian cancer. She was allowed to return to her hometown in Thailand to spend her final days with her family. Upon her return, she filed a civil lawsuit against her traffickers in Thailand, reported to be the first suit of its kind in the country. However, she died in May 2006 at the age of 38 before the case was adjudicated. Her adoptive mother has said that she will continue her case in court.

Background

Urairat Soimee was born in the Lom Sak district of Phetchabun, Thailand. She had three children and a husband, who became disabled due to a car accident. Like many women in her village, she was poor and had little formal education. She went by the nickname "Bua", which means "lotus flower" in Thai.

Urairat was recruited to work in Japan by a wealthy neighbor, Patama Kosaka, who was also a childhood friend of Urairat's mother. Kosaka claimed that she was married to a Japanese man and that she owned a Thai restaurant in Japan where she wanted Urairat to work as a waitress. Urairat had no radio or television and little formal education, and therefore was not aware of the many cases in which women from Thailand were tricked or coerced into prostitution abroad.

Forced prostitution in Japan

Urairat arrived in Japan in 2000 and was transported to Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture by a Thai woman named Dao and her husband, where she was told that she would have work as a prostitute. When she attempted to protest, she was told that if she did not comply, she would be sold to a brothel on an island and thrown into the sea if she tried to escape. Urairat was told that she could leave after paying off her debt within five months. During this time, she was locked in the apartment with other Thai sex slaves, and taken out by Dao, her pimp, to hotel rooms to service customers, ranging from three to six a day. She was forced to service customers while menstruating, and even after having contracted a painful sexually transmitted disease.

However, at the end of five months, Dao refused to release her, saying that she had been sold to another yakuza gang and that her debt had increased. It was then that she contacted another Thai sex slave, Pranee, and another Thai friend, Boon, to help her escape.

Escape and incarceration

The circumstances surrounding the killing of Dao and Urairat's escape are unclear. In an interview with the Bangkok Post, Urairat claimed that her Thai friend, Boon, came over to the apartment and helped her escape, and that Boon eventually killed Dao to prevent her from going to the yakuza. However, the Kyodo news service reported that Japanese prosecutors accused Urairat of robbery and murder by smashing Dao's head with a bottle.

Despite pleas from human rights organizations, Boon was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in the murder, and Urairat was sentenced for seven years. While in prison, she developed a terminal form of ovarian cancer and was released from custody to spend her remaining days with her family in Thailand.

Court battle and final days

Patama and her parents, the three traffickers who deceived Urairat and Pranee into coming to Japan, were sentenced to 13 years imprisonment in criminal court. Urairat also filed a 4.6 million baht civil lawsuit against the three, reported to be the first of its kind in Thailand. However, Urairat died in May 2006 before her case was adjudicated. Her adoptive mother, Lamyai Kaewkerd, has vowed to continue her battle in court.

Upon her return to Thailand, Urairat became a strong voice against human trafficking, leading a campaign that urged other victims to step forward. She earned an award from Thailand's Social Development and Human Security Ministry in March 2006 to celebrate International Women's Day for her work in fighting human trafficking.

"My wish is for the government and all sides to get tough with human trafficking rackets, the same way it suppresses drugs", she was quoted as saying. "I want my last wish to be fulfilled. It is not only a gift for me, but also for women in general because they shouldn't live through a hellish experience like I have."

References

* [http://www.silveradomedia.com/docs/rightingwrongs.htm Righting wrongs: Despite having terminal cancer, Urairat Soimee is devoting the last days of her life to preventing other women from being forced into prostitution]
* [http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/01/23/national/index.php?news=national_19721754.html Woman's dying wish: to punish traffickers who ruined her life]
* [http://www.nationmultimedia.com/search/page.arcview.php?clid=3&id=126236 Trafficked woman sues gang]
* [http://www.nationmultimedia.com/search/page.arcview.php?clid=3&id=126324 Landmark compensation case: Woman files suit against traffickers]
* [http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060825/lf_afp/thailandjapansex_060825154637 Justice calls from grave for trafficked Thai woman]
* [http://www.nationmultimedia.com/search/page.news.php?clid=3&id=30005715 Adoptive mother vows to fight on]

External links

* [http://steve-s.livejournal.com/38437.html Japan has tackled sex trafficking, but challenges remain]