By Benjamin Wong "Where do you sleep now?" It is but my first question, and it already pierces something in Mizanur’s heart. He begins to tear. I tell him to take his food, then come and talk to me. I observe him as he eats; in between mouthfuls of food, Mizanur pauses, like he has
By Danielle Hong Aiful spent a fitful night on 16 May 2012 trying to sleep. It wasn’t possible. Earlier in the day, a metal beam had fallen straight onto his back, leaving gashing wounds that would later require stitches and five consecutive trips to Tan Tock Seng Hospital. The accident, which happened around 3 pm
Three months after he arrived in Singapore for his job, Amin Hajee Baten, 39, was filled with renewed hope. His agent, whom we shall call Mr E, had finally given him a specific address in Peninsula Plaza, which Amin assumed would be where he should report for work. At long last. Peninsula Plaza is an
The men were beginning to doze off in their post-lunch siesta, when a van-load of officers from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) arrived. Strangely, the officers didn't speak to any of them, said Chandan Sarkar, one of the 30 foreign workers on site, but went around taking pictures instead – of each man, the worksite,
By Xinlin This is Aminul's first time going to the Singapore Zoo and he has spent the night before tossing and turning in his bed. "I am very very happy," he says. "This is great opportunity." Aminul (pictured above) is normally introverted, does not talk much and often trails behind groups when walking. However, when
By Rachel Hui. Photos by Alex Tay. On 26 August 2012, TSMP Law Corporation sponsored a trip to the zoo for a hundred Bangladeshi and Indian migrant workers receiving assistance from TWC2, along with ten TWC2 volunteers. Arriving early at the designated pick-up location on a Sunday morning to ensure their registration, many of the
By Debbie and Alex After a full day's work on 17 July 2012, Rabel (not his real name) was called to the office to see his boss. "Boss say I have to leave company," he told Transient Workers Count Too. The employer asked him to sign a piece of paper stating that his work performance
Continued from part 1. Kabir Mohammad Sana Ulla Miah got a reprieve. At the request of a senior officer of the Ministry of Manpower, TWC2's social worker contacted him just as he was despondently packing his bag to go to the airport, and told him he should not board the plane. There was a new
The worker at the other end of the phone line was extremely upset, and TWC2 social worker Raymond Ang had a hard time calming him down. Kabir Mohammad Sana Ulla Miah had been given an air ticket to go home to Bangladesh that very evening (Monday, 23 July 2012). Earlier, the officer at the Ministry
Continued from part 2 This is the last of three parts: A week after the attack, which left Nurul with a bloodied right eye, I sat down with all three men to discuss the events of the last few weeks. Kamaruzzaman won’t talk to me about what happened in Geylang, stonewalling all questions about brothels
