These will dictate that workers must have safety in the workplace, insurance benefits, and fair wages. Forced labor is prohibited, and employees must agree to regular monitoring of workplace and living conditions by the management office.<\/p>\n
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But critics say officials will struggle to enforce these contracts. Local authorities have limited powers to operate within the GT-SEZ, and their access is restricted.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\nThe Bokeo Prosecutors Office told RFA<\/em> this week a better solution would be for the Laos government to give more power to the police and various governmental authorities to monitor the zone and crack down on human trafficking.<\/p>\nCorrupt Government <\/strong><\/h2>\nBut the nominally Communist government is notoriously corrupt and is in partnership with politically connected Zhao in the GT-SEZ. The government established the zone in 2007 with the help of Zhao\u2019s investment. It\u2019s believed to hold a 20% interest in the project to Zhao\u2019s 80%.<\/p>\n
In February, RFA<\/em> reported that 19 Lao women had been rescued by police from the GT-SEZ, many of whom had escaped through a fence.<\/p>\nMany of the women were lured to the zone with the promise of jobs as \u201cchat-girls,\u201d selling shares in the casino to wealthy patrons.<\/p>\n
They agreed to take on debts to finance their applications and moving expenses, but were forced into prostitution to pay off those debts when they failed to meet the impossibly high sales targets.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Authorities in Bokeo province in Laos, Southeast Asia, have drawn up new regulations to fight the exploitation of female workers in the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone (GTSEZ). The zone includes the notorious Kings Romans Casino. But can the rules be enforced in the semi-lawless region? The GT-SEZ dominates the tiny province, which is Laos\u2019 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":203551,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[69069],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Kings Romans Casino: Laos Authorities Move to Protect Female Workers<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n