Distressing: a family forced a 17-year-old girl into prostitution in Nigeria to repay debts. Meanwhile, “Ton O Pen Nueng” coordinated with the Ministry of Defence to bring her military brother to a "safe zone," where they ultimately found their sister.
At 2:00 p.m. on 10 June 2026, at the Pitak Santi Building, Central Investigation Bureau Headquarters, Ms. Chanida Palamat, also known as “Ton O Pen Nueng,” accompanied officials from the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security to bring the 17-year-old victim, who had just arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport after being assisted by the Thai embassy in Nigeria in repatriating her.
Ton O stated that the 17-year-old victim was pressured and forced by family members—including her mother, grandmother, aunt, and uncle—to travel abroad for prostitution. Despite her attempts to resist and escape to live at her boyfriend’s house, a group of relatives tracked her down, physically assaulted her there, and forcibly took her to the airport to urgently fly to Nigeria.
During the two months she endured abroad, the victim secretly communicated continuously with her boyfriend and his aunt. When the opportunity arose, she decided to contact the Royal Thai Embassy in Nigeria for help. The embassy staff promptly intervened, and she is now safe.
After receiving assistance, the victim confided in “Ton O Pen Nueng” about her distressing experience and expressed her wish to meet her “brother,” the only family member unaware of and uninvolved in this human trafficking case. She considers her brother her final "safe zone."
The Pen Nueng Foundation expedited coordination and discovered that the victim’s brother serves as a soldier stationed at the northern border. Upon learning of his sister’s plight, he was deeply saddened and expressed a strong desire to meet her as soon as possible.
Furthermore, General Adul Boonthamcharoen, Minister of Defence, upon receiving this report from “Ton O Pen Nueng,” expressed deep concern and immediately ordered facilitation for the brother. The Ministry of Defence will cover all travel and related expenses to reunite the siblings, emphasizing that "this issue will not be overlooked, even if it involves a military family member."
Today, there was an opportunity to speak briefly with the sister, but she was not yet ready to share detailed information, fearing distrust. However, the information obtained indicated that the boyfriend’s aunt had previously been deceived into similar work, before joining the mother and others in forcing the victim to work instead.
Initially, investigators from the Anti-Human Trafficking Division, together with multidisciplinary officials, interviewed Ms. Somkul, the human trafficking victim, to proceed with legal action.