Mother of Thai Girl in Tokyo Sex Work Case to Be Returned to Thailand

Taipei, Dec. 11 (Jiji Press)–Taiwanese police plan to send back to Thailand the mother of a Thai girl who was forced to engage in illegal work at a massage parlor in Tokyo, it was learned Thursday. The mother arrived in Taiwan in September, leaving her daughter in Japan, and was later detained by Taiwanese authorities for her alleged involvement in prostitution. She will be repatriated by the end of this month, the deadline for her detention. Tokyo’s Metropolitan Police Department has obtained an arrest warrant for the mother on suspicion of violating the child welfare law. Thai police have also secured an arrest warrant for her. Attention has been paid to whether she would be sent to Japan or Thailand. A Taiwanese police official said that the police cannot send the mother to Japan because there have been no requests from the country, adding that there is no choice but to return her to Thailand since she is a Thai national. The absence of an extradition treaty and other arrangements between Japan and Taiwan, which have no diplomatic relations, is believed to be a major obstacle to sending her to Japan. Taiwan’s immigration authorities, which have detained the woman, are coordinating the repatriation schedule. In November, the MPD arrested the Tokyo massage parlor’s manager for allegedly violating the labor standards law by employing the girl, then 12, under the minimum working age. The MPD believes that the mother handed over her daughter to the parlor despite knowing that the shop would have the girl provide sexual services to customers. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]