By April 15, 11 people had been returned to their homes in Quang Tri Province.
According to them, two local people introduced them job opportunities at a gold mine in Quang Nam Province with the monthly salary of VND4-6 million (USD182-273). They also said that the work was not hard and the workers would be offered many attractive incentives.
The people were lured by attractive advertisements and then signed a contract to work for the gold mine which is managed by Phuoc Minh Ltd. Co.
However, the reality was totally different. The people had to work very hard without a day off even when they were sick. The meals were extremely poor and they had only short sleeping hours. In some cases, they were beaten by the mine’s security officers.
In the midday of April 12, the workers asked the management to be allowed to go home but were attacked again. They then tried to run into the nearby forest to escape.
The workers contacted their family to call for help. After being informed of the case, border guards and police of both Quang Tri and Quang Nam provinces joined hands to rescue them from their hiding place, some 60 kilometres from the gold mine.
Authorities of the two provinces worked with representatives from Phuoc Minh Ltd. Co., which denied mistreating the workers.
According to the workers who have been saved, there are still around 30 people who are working at the mine gold, including three women, and they needed help to get out of there. Authorities are continuing to investigate the case.
Dtinews