Thread: Thai woman’s remains return from Bahrain sex trafficking trap

Another Bahrain sex trafficking tragedy as the body of a Thai woman found dead in Manama on April 18th is repatriated. The Paveena Foundation warns Thai women to examine very carefully employment offers from Bahrain. The 31-year-old’s autopsy follows reports of bruising amid a growing sex industry in the Gulf kingdom.


Thailand’s respected Paveena Foundation on Thursday warned Thai women about taking up employment in Bahrain. It came as the body of a Thai woman who was found dead in Manama on April 18th was repatriated back to Thailand. The 31-year-old woman’s body was later sent for an autopsy after reports of bruising being found. It comes with a rapidly growing sex industry in the Persian Gulf kingdom.

A distraught Thai mother had to be supported and consoled on Thursday as she received the body of her 31-year-old daughter at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok.

Identified as Ms Aim, the woman was accompanied to the airport by Ms Paveena Hongsakula of the Paveena Hongsakul Foundation for Children and Women.

Ms Aim was notified of her daughter’s death on April 18th last. The 31-year-old woman reportedly lost contact with her family a year previously. It is understood that she began living with or came under the control of a Bahraini man.

Ms Aim, in tears, told reporters that her daughter, who had three children, left to work in Bahrain in 2021. Thereafter, she would regularly make contact by video calls. In addition, she sent remittances home to take care of her children.


Afterwards, contact with the mother of three ceased abruptly on April 15th, 2023. That was until the Thai mother was contacted by the Thai embassy in Bahrain on April 18th.


In brief, her daughter’s body was found dead at the Salmaniya Hospital in Bahrain’s capital Manama. She had died on the same day. Initial reports suggested that the 31-year-old had died from respiratory and heart failure. Doctors in Bahrain suggested alcohol poisoning as the cause of death.

Nonetheless, the mother does not accept that explanation. Significantly, photos seen by her from Bahrain showed bruises and suspicious marks on her daughter’s body.

On Thursday, the remains of the deceased Thai woman were transported to the Institute of Forensics in Bangkok. An autopsy will be carried out.


Ms Aim, in tears, took the opportunity to thank the Thai expatriate community in Bahrain for assisting her family. The elderly woman had reached out to the Paveena Hongsakul Foundation after hearing of her daughter’s death. In short, she was at a loss.


In turn, a sum of ฿92,087.56 was raised by Thais in Bahrain. Indeed, without the money, the repatriation of the young woman’s body would have been impossible.

‘I thank Ms Paveena for helping coordinate the return of my daughter’s body to Thailand and the generosity of Thai people who donated money. I paid ฿80,000 to the Thai embassy in Bahrain for the repatriation, and the remaining money will be used for the funeral,’ a tearful Ms Aim told reporters.


After the autopsy, the family planned a funeral for the young woman at Wat Maklua, situated in the Thonburi district of Bangkok. The Paveena Foundation helped organise the autopsy of her daughter.

On Thursday, the founder, Ms Paveena, took the opportunity to warn Thai women thinking of taking up employment in Bahrain.




The organisation, which works closely with police in fighting human trafficking, maintains its own records. Certainly, from 2004 to 2022, Bahrain emerged as the most dangerous destination for young Thai women.


The kingdom has a long history of Thai women being enslaved and forced to work in prostitution.


Similarly, there is a systematic human trafficking culture.


In short, an underground market for buying and selling women and sex workers as commodities.


Additionally, the added danger faced is being forced to consume drugs and other substances. In effect, the women’s handlers use their subsequent addiction to control them.

At the same time, figures for 2023 for documented cases of Thai women being forced into prostitution show Dubai leading the way with 54 cases.


Undeniably, these cases are the tip of the iceberg. Most Thai women who are trafficked or end up trapped in Bahrain.

MORE Thai woman’s remains return from Bahrain sex trafficking trap