Straits Times reports on International Migrants Day
Carried on page 2 of the Home section, the Straits Times (Monday, December 19, 2011) featured various non-profit organisations’ messages and activities marking International Migrants’ Day, including TWC2′s. Leading the story was the call by Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics’ (HOME) for a specialised anti-human trafficking law. “We urge the state to make our laws...
Finding love in a foreign land
The above was the headline for a feature story carried in the Sunday Times, 4 December 2011, about romantic relationships between foreign workers in Singapore. The newspaper’s reporters trawled Lucky Plaza and Little India over two Sundays and reported that “foreign men and women holding hands were a common sight.” Taking up a full page,...
MOM ‘belittles’ foreign workers, says Jolovan Wham on TOC
In a commentary published by socio-political website The Online Citizen (TOC), Jolovan Wham criticised the Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) ineffectual moves with respect to abuses committed by repatriation companies. Link to article. It is not clear however, whether Wham was writing in his personal capacity or as Executive Director of HOME (Humanitarian Organisation for Migration...
Straits Times editorial: Hit these labour abusers hard
The Straits Times carried an editorial on November 29, 2011, following the Court of Appeal’s decision in the case of Lee Chiang Theng vs Public Prosecutor, as reported here (Judge: Bosses who ill-treat workers will go to jail).. This is the editorial in full: Hit these labour abusers hard MIGRANT workers performing hard labour in...
Firms ‘too powerful over foreign workers’
Today newspaper carried the gist of TWC2′s press release, pointing out that giving employers total freedom to terminate and repatriate migrant workers is the source of much exploitation. The newspaper’s edition of November 15, 2011, also carried additional comments by TWC2 immediate past president John Gee, suggesting that employers wanting to effect early termination be...
Tan Chuan-jin blogs about his visit to TWC2 earlier this month
In a blogpost dated November 17, 2011, Minister of State for Manpower Tan Chuan-jin, mentioned his recent visit to TWC2′s frontline operations at Cuff Road. He wrote: Early this month (1 Nov), I visited the Migrant Workers Centre (MWC), a bipartite NGO set up by employers and unions, as well as the Cuff Road Project...
Workers urged to sign up for casino ban
In a follow-up story to that of November 4, the Straits Times reported Monday, November 7, 2011, that employers and recruitment agents are encouraging their foreign workers to apply for voluntary exclusion from the casinos before they arrive in Singapore, or as soon as they set foot here. Some employers are even making it a...
Bosses send foreign workers to gamble
In a special report on November 4, 2011, the Straits Times put the spotlight on a disturbing development: bosses who use their foreign workers to gamble vicariously at casinos. Employers typically provide each worker with $500 as seed money for the day. Winnings go back to the employer, except for 10 percent which is the...
Little rest for Singapore’s silent army
“You cannot choose your food… I will decide the type of food to buy for you. You cannot use the washing machine or dryer… you must hand wash your own clothes and bed sheets. And if (the children) fall down, it’s your fault” – CNN cites this as one of the house rules laid down...
TWC2 featured in Chinese newspaper Lianhe Zaobao
Chinese-language morning daily Lianhe Zaobao devoted a half page to Transient Workers Count Too in their edition of Monday, October 31, 2011. Describing TWC2 as an organisation that extends a helping hand to migrant workers, the story opened with an interesting, yet important perspective: That fair treatment of guest workers is not just a matter...
