Claims by three Bangladeshi immigrant workers in Tonga, that they were mistreated have been disputed by a Nuku'alofa woman Siuni Lotaki, their caretaker and the Manager of the Pacific Group of Business Ltd, who brought the men to Tonga.

Siuni claimed that the three Bangladeshi workers were "spreading lies around" in an attempt to damage the company, which is a joint Bangladeshi-Tongan venture "but they won't succeed".

The three workers told Matangi Tonga Online last week that they had been brought to Tonga on false promises and then treated like slaves, working long hours, were unpaid, locked up, and one of them was poked in the eye by their caretaker.

Australia

Siuni said the company arranged for five Bangladeshi workers to come to Tonga last year. But when their travel itinerary was confirmed and it was realized that the workers would not have to transit through Australia, one of the Bangladeshi shareholders in the company, Mohammed Iftekhar Uddin, was no longer interested in the affairs of the company. Then Mohammed's nephew, Abdul Miuntagim, who had got a working visa for Tonga decided not to come, and was left behind when the other four workers left Bangladesh.

Siuni said that four workers, Saleh Ahmed, Sadik Ahmed, Shamsol Alam Bulbul and Badrul Alam arrived in Tonga on August 4, "and then suddenly on August 20 Abdul Miuntagim rang from the airport to be picked up."

Siuni said she regretted that Abdul ever came because ever since he arrived he had been asking her to get a visa for him to go to Australia, New Zealand and even to the UK, "and because his dream of going to Australia to join his uncle is not going to come true he dragged the other two along with him into this mess that they have found themselves in."

Siuni said that the idea to set up tailoring and cafe business in Tonga was conceived by herself, her husband, Masod Ahamed Khan, and Mohammed Iftekhar Uddin in Australia. They brought in another Tongan shareholder, Sione Falemanu, who is Tonga's supervisor of prisons.

Siuni acquired working visas for two tailors, a chef, and a business development manager, and Mohammed contacted his nephew, Abdul to recruit two tailors from Sylhed, Bangladesh. According to Siuni, Abdul in the name of Pacific Group of Business Ltd squeezed 160,000 Takas off Saleh and Sadik with the promise of a job and a good life in Tonga. Siuni said that the company did not know about the money until Masod arrived in Bangladesh to meet the workers and to pay for their airfares to Tonga.

Abdul agreed to refund 60,000 takas to Saleh and Sadik, and then Masod in an effort to settle the dispute "agreed on the behalf of the company to repay the remaining 100,000 takas later to Saleh and Sadik as a loan to the company."

Siuni said that no such cash was demanded from the others, and that all the airfares were paid for by PGB. She also said that the claim for unpaid wages was also a lie because all the workers, including Shamsul and Badrul who were still working for PGB had chosen for their wages to be paid to their families in Bangladesh.

Siuni said that Abdul's working visa has been cancelled and Saleh and Sadik visas will expire in May.