Bonded labourers in our midst

On an evening in August 2005, while some 200 estate workers were gathering for a Hindu festival at the small temple, one man had only one thing on his mind - escape.

It was the best opportunity for P Ramudu and his heavily pregnant wife A Kalaivany to make a dash for freedom, to escape the clutches of their ‘owner’ who has ‘forced’ them to work on the plantation.

The plan was simple. While everyone, including their ‘owner-cum-employer’, was busy praying, the young couple would sneak out on a walk towards a better life.

This is their story - a story of bonded slavery in our midst.

This is our 50th Merdeka anniversary. The country is hoping to achieve a First World status is less than 13 years time. Our standards of life have improved. So has our quality of life.

But still, hidden away from the fast pace of comfort and modernisation, exist families who are still being traded between contractors as though they are chattels.

Watch this 10-minute malaysiakini documentary - based on my special report - for a fuller picture of their plight.

Watch the documentary here.
Read the special report here.

p/s: yes that’s me who is anchoring the documentary!