Two men claim trial to human trafficking for forced labour exploitation

IPOH: A managing director and a supervisor of a leading rubber glove company were charged at the Sessions Court here today with 18 counts of human trafficking with the purpose of forced labour exploitation over the past 10 years.
The accused – G. Baskaran, 64, and Soe Mynit, 58, – however, pleaded not guilty after the charges were read out before Judge Norashima Khalid.
According to the charge sheet, Baskaran and the Myanmar supervisor Soe Mynit, are alleged to have committed the offence involving nine men from Nepal, six from Bangladesh and three from Myanmar, aged between 18 and 41, at a factory in Persiaran Kanthan 2, Kawasan Perindustrian Kanthan, Chemor here since 2007.
The charge, under Section 12 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code, carries a jail term of up to 15 years and a fine upon conviction.
Earlier, deputy public prosecutor Muhammad Fauzi Md Yusof urged the court not to allow the two men bail as they could disturb the victims.
"If the court wants to allow bail, the amount should be set at RM20,000 for each charge on each of the accused and they have to surrender their passports to the court," he pressed.
However, counsel S. Suresh representing Baskaran and Soe, asked the court to reduce the bail.
The duo were allowed bail of RM100,000 each for all 18 charges.
Dec 6 was set for remention. — Bernama