Mother Alleges Massage Equipment Company Hires Children Aged 13-18 as Sales Staff, Abandons Them Mid-Route When Sales Targets Aren't Met
A Buriram massage equipment company allegedly hires teenagers as young as 13 and abandons them in remote areas when they fail to meet sales targets, according to complaints from workers and their families.
On May 17, Ms. Pairin, 41, traveled to Buriram Bus Station to pick up her 18-year-old son, Piraphat, who had been abandoned at a PTT gas station convenience store in Lahansai District, approximately 130 kilometers from their home. Her son had taken a general labor job to support his mother, having found the position online through a well-known company based in Buriram Municipality that sells massage equipment and health products. After just seven days of employment, Piraphat called his mother around 1 p.m. to say he had been abandoned at the gas station and didn't know what to do. His mother contacted police sergeant Chanyarong Chaissakorn at Hinlek Police Station, and her son was eventually sent home by bus.
Piraphat explained that the company employed approximately 20-30 workers, mostly aged 16-18, with some as young as 13. Employees lived in company housing and were transported in pickup trucks carrying 5-6 workers each to various districts, where they demonstrated products to residents. Sales staff who failed to make sales were verbally abused or simply abandoned mid-route by team leaders. Most employees received no pay due to being abandoned. Piraphat himself had been dropped off twice and was told "you're lucky" before being left without a phone to contact his mother.
A 13-year-old girl using the pseudonym A, another former employee, stated she quit after only three days because working hours were irregular—sometimes ending past midnight. She was once abandoned in an isolated area at 4 a.m. with no nearby homes or shops. When she called the employer, he didn't answer. She was fortunately picked up at 5 a.m., after which she quit without receiving any wages.
