Abused Child Maid Awarded Bt4.6 Million In Damages

[Flashermac]

A Kampaeng Phet Court has awarded more than Bt4.6million in compensation to a Karen housemaid who was tortured and ill treated by Thai employers, the Human Rights and Development Foundation (HRDF) said Tuesday.

 

Kampaeng Phet Court on Monday read the ruling in the civil suit filed by Mo Wateng, custodian of the housemaid who was identified only as Air against her former employers Natee Taengon and Rattanakorn Piyaworatham.

 

The Court ordered the defendants to collectively award the plaintiff Bt4,603,233 for damages including Bt303,233 incurred in medical expenses at Bangkok's Ramathibodi Hospital, Bt800,000 for future medical treatment, Bt1 million damages for disability to work of at least 50 years, and Bt700,000 for a loss of ability to reproduce.

 

However, the exact amount to be received by the damaged parties is dependent on further actions to acquire assets belonging to the employers.

 

The case emerged around 2009, when Air, then 7, disappeared from the living quarters of her parents, migrant workers from Myanmar migrant employed to work on a sugar cane plantation in Kamphaeng Phet.

 

On January 31, 2013, Air escaped from the house and was initially helped by samaritans before receiving help and shelter from officers.

 

Air said she had been abducted by her parents' former employers and forced to serve as a housemaid in the couple's house. She also suffered abuse at their hands and sustained grievous injuries including severe burns from boiling water deliberately poured over her.

 

At present, the employers, also facing a separate criminal lawsuit, are still at large after jumping police bail.

 

 

http://www.nationmul...s-30237511.html

[Boo Radley]

Thanks for the update. I'd been following the story of Nong Air with some interest. Wonder if she'll actually get any of the money? If the damages are due to come from the defendants, I think they were quite wealthy owning a house and had a business or two etc. At the time I got the feeling they had paid off the police to go into hiding, who had originally arrested them, but then let them go, whereupon they promptly skipped bail.

There was a fund set up for donations to Nong Air as well, for which 600,000 Baht had already been collected as of August last year.

http://t2.thai360.co...20#entry1401426

[Flashermac]

I suppose the court could seize their property and sell it to get the money.