Search

Prostitution is illegal in China and is frequently the target of law enforcement crackdowns. In recent years, the country’s growing emphasis on combating human trafficking has also increased the profile of these anti-prostitution campaigns. This is seen in China’s current anti-trafficking roadmap, which identifies the nationwide eradication of prostitution as an important prong of the country’s anti-trafficking campaign. The two phenomena of prostitution and trafficking in women, or female trafficking, are nevertheless not equivalent. This article argues that, in the contemporary discourse on prostitution and female trafficking in China, the two issues are often conflated. The two terms are used interchangeably in a way that has affected the conceptualisation of female trafficking as a phenomenon that is largely synonymous with prostitution. This problem is exacerbated by the social stigma attached to women who are engaged in prostitution, regardless of the circumstances of their entry. Another aspect of this discourse is its dissociation from historical context, despite the fact that neither prostitution nor the trafficking in Chinese women for the exploitation of prostitution are newly arrived challenges for the present generation. The article therefore argues that discussions on prostitution and female trafficking in China would benefit from a conceptually clear framework that examines these challenges as more than a singular purpose of exploitation or a challenge of modernity.

1. Introduction This study was carried out during January-February 2007. It relied mainly on archival research of existing official documents and literature on the relevant issues. Supporting information was obtained from media reports and key informants at the expert level from governmental, non-governmental and academic sectors to increase the reliability of the information and the validity of the information interpretations. It should be noted that although Betong, geographically, was pron...

I would like to tell you a word about what I think of the links between Organized Crime and terrorist networks. Because a lot of people pretend there are strong links between Organised Crime and terrorist networks, which is absolutely wrong. Both are professional, but they have not the same goals. Terrorist organizations can receive the help of petty delinquent groups, but not share their activities with organized criminal networks. First idea, for discussing about that, we have to come back ...

Among all the minorities in South East Asia, the Chinese Diaspora is by far the most influential. Its centuries-old presence, its demographic weight, the richness of its transnational network, its cultural, economical and political influence in some countries in the zone raise a series of question. The Diaspora role is essentially a political question. Who really are they? Who is Chinese and how integrated in their host country could they be? Does the multi dimensional influence of these grou...

1. Introduction This study was carried out during June-November 2007. It relied mainly on archival research of existing official documents and literature on the relevant issues. Supporting information was obtained from media reports and key informants at the expert level from governmental, non-governmental and academic sectors to increase the reliability of the information and the validity of the information interpretations. 2. Geographic and Socio-Economic Background of Sungai Kolok Sungai K...

Human trafficking has been one of the most challenging problems of nation states across the globe since the 20th century. Thailand has lately turned into a country of origin, destination, and transit for human trafficking. So far, the degree of human trafficking into Thailand is still unknown. Studies on human trafficking into Thailand have been mostly carried out in the Mekong Sub-region. The south of Thailand is an under-researched area, particularly when dealing with trafficking for sexual exploitation. This manuscript provides key findings of the research project entitled Trafficking for Sexual Exploitation into Southern Thailand, under the joint support of the Alliance Française Bangkok and the IRASEC. Carried out during December 2006 - December 2007, the study was expected to fill the gap of research in the problem of trafficking for sexual exploitation in Thailand along a qualitative approach. It was designed towards fact-findings for a better understanding with the most updated information on the problem there. In all, the highlight of the contribution of this study is two folds. First, it enriches literatures on human security from the perspective of people on the move through a qualitative study of human trafficking for sexual exploitation into areas of marginal investigation - southern Thailand. Second, it contributes in terms of policy impact for further strengthening of the collaborative efforts at the national and district levels within Thailand as well as at the regional level.

Ethnic Chinese is considered one of so many minorities in Indonesia. The majority of Indonesians are Javanese and Sundanese making up to 50% of the total population of Indonesia which is about 220 million people. On the other hand, the fact shows the important role of the Chinese – Indonesians particularly in the economy and trade sector. Although the ethnic Chinese in Indonesia is the largest community among the other countries in South East Asia but they are still facing ongoing problem of ...

Summary This article seeks to portray a realistic picture of the current situation af the Chinese diaspora in this frontier region and perhaps defend the reputation of this community, the members of which are often systematically accused of being implicated in the flesh trade, in their capacity as the main people concerned as well as participants, for if some members of the Chinese community are indeed involved in prostitution and flesh trade, all are not necessarily concerned and there are r...

1. Introduction More and more attention has now been paid to combat human trafficking at local, national, sub-regional and global levels. Study after study confirms that it was one of the most challenging problems in modern society of the 20th century and continues to be a major concern in the 21st century. This is despite the fact that the origins of the debate can be traced back to the end of the nineteenth century. A global survey under the umbrella of IOM maintains that the definition of ...

1. Introduction This study was based on archival and field research with in-depth interview of key informants – the stakeholders from local authorities in charge of and an NGO dealing with human trafficking as well as victims – during 14-18 December 2006. The local authorities included those from Ranong Provincial Social Development and Human Security Office, Provincial Labour Employment Office, Provincial Welfare and Labour Protection Office, and Provincial Health Care Office. NGO key inform...

As an introduction to the second day, Alain Forest warns against the unfair association that can be made between the Chinese presence on the one hand, and illegal or underground activities on the other. That all the Chinese more or less belong to mafias is an old cliché, arising particularly from the existence of an organization (sometimes under colonial impulsion as in French Indochina) of congregations generally based on the origin of Chinese immigrants; a cliché that is obviously reinforce...

Antony, Robert James. (1988). Pirates, bandits, and brotherhoods: A study of crime and law in Kwangtung Province, 1796-1839. Thesis (Ph. D.) -- University of Hawaii. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii. Billingsley, Phil. (1988). Bandits in Republican China. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1988. Black, David. (1991). Triad Takeover: A Terrifying Account of the Spread of Triad Crime in the West. London, UK, UK: Sidgwick & Jackson. Bolton, Kingsley (ed.) (2000...

Overview With its 1.3 billion inhabitants and stable economic growth, China is becoming a very significant country. One might have heard of China being referred to as the Dragon, the Big Brother, or the World Market, the names reflecting on the country’s position. One thing is clear, though, even when considering the purchase of one item, the numbers become enormous when multiplied by 1.3 billion, which is why the name “China” works as an eye-opener. Not so long ago, when someone talked about...

Concerning these communities I would like to make two comparative remarks: one concerns Thailand and the other concerns Burma. 1) When we speak about the Chinese in this country there is a sort of taboo. As people in general do not like too much to speak about the Chinese during conversations with strangers some subjects concerning that community are never mentionned or are systematically concealed. The reason for such a discreet attitude is obvious. For most of the foreigners the inhabitants...

In most Southeast Asian countries, the members of the Chinese Diaspora have secured important position in the fields of administration, education and religion. Thanks to their capacity to work and to adapt as well as their frugality, their cultural influence continues to grow. Clans and factions form the essential structure of the ancient Chinese society. If Imperial China never developed a Civil Law, it's probably because the ancient Chinese society never really saw the need for it. This structure of relations could also explain why the Chinese civilisation didn't develop a real territorial reference. The Chinese Diaspora today covers different political and economical realities which could be conflicting. What primarily characterises the Diaspora is apparently its great capacity to organise itself in any economical, political, social or cultural environment. The capacity if its economic and administrative elites had been the determining factor of their development. However, the existence of informal and trans-national networks can also help the development of criminal activities. The presence of mafia groups and gangs of Chinese origin and their collusion with the world of finance and politics are historical facts in the region and could represent today a real threat for its stability. These criminal networks tend to forge business link with their Japanese, Russian, Korea, Italian or South American counterparts and sometimes could interfere with the process of political decision making.

From the neon-lit streets in the heart of triad territory in Hong Kong and China’s ganglands dominating the sex, extortion and drug trade; to counterfeiting luxury goods straight off the shelves of the Parisian fashion houses of Louis Vuitton, Pierre Cardin and Chanel; right down to hired assassins, the illegal shark fin trade and clandestine methamphetamine factories on the tropical island paradise of Fiji, they are everywhere. They run casino loansharking and operate multi-billion dollar bl...

Overview In its most common form, the collective term triad refers to underground criminal fraternities. These fraternities are almost exclusively made up of Chinese membership, and although having originated in Mainland China, these societies have followed the migratory movements of the Chinese across the globe. Originally the triads were formed with political aims in mind, but over time they degenerated into criminal societies driven by greed. Today they are both opportunist and organized c...

1. Introduction Sadao was the name of a small town or district in Songkhla Province in Southern Thailand, on the border with Malaysia. The large number of sex workers and tourists led to a notion that Sadao was a popular sex tourist spot. This was particularly in the so-called Samnakkham sub-district of Sadao, better-known among local people as “Dan Sadao” or “Dan Nok.” It is the main target area of the study. The case study of Sadao was primarily based on a field observatory research and in-...

1. Rational of the Study Thailand is a source, transit, and destination country for trafficking. As a center of economic prosperity in Southeast Asia, Thailand has received trafficked persons from poorer neighboring countries, China and beyond into many sectors, including suxual industry. This is in addition to internal trafficking for sexual exploitation. They may add to or even be a fraction of the estimated 800,000 to two million prostitutes currently working in Thailand. In the early 1990...

“Na thi dai mi chao chin apphayop na thi ni cha mi samakhom yu duai samoe.” M.R. Ayumongkol Sonakul, a newspaperman from royal ancestry translates this sentence as “They (the secret societies) existed everywhere there was a large Chinese community” (Sonakul 1985: 16; Leotphanitkun 2525: 1; 2528: 72). The word ang-yi (อั้งยี่) is quite familiar with the Thai people. However, all Thai dictionaries do not include it. One of the largest Thai-English dictionaries gives “Chinese secret society” a...

1. Hong Kong Triads Triad societies appeared in Hong Kong even before the Chinese ceded it to be a British colony in 1842. Although the triads in Hong Kong had some indirect links with those in China, the take-off of Hong Kong triads was a direct response to the conflicts between different migratory dialect groups for job opportunities in the labour market by the turn of the 20th century. According to the record of the Hong Kong police, there were more than 300 triad societies in the ...