Honolulu, HI - On June 22, U.S. District Judge Susan Oki Mollway sentenced Kil Soo Lee, former owner of the Daewoosa Samoa garment factory, to 40 years in prison and ordered him to pay US $1.8 million in restitution to his victims who sought legitimate work but were forced to become virtual slaves. The maximum possible penalty under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 is 20 years for each count of trafficking.

"This rendering of justice will eventually bring the sad incident to closure," said Dr. Nguyen Dinh Thang of Boat People SOS. The organization provided assistance to Lee's victims since 1999 when the organization first learned of their plight.

Between 1999 and 2001, Lee conspired with two Vietnamese government-owned companies to send some 300 workers, mostly women recruited from rural areas, to work in Lee's sweatshop. Once in American Samoa, these workers were confined in the factory's compound, forced to work without pay, and given insufficient food. Those who protested the mistreatment were beaten up and denied food altogether. A female worker lost an eye and a male worker's ear drum was permanently damaged from the beatings. Several were deported to Vietnam where they faced huge debts-money they borrowed to pay the labor export companies and corrupt officials.

In March 2001, Federal agents rescued the victims, arrested Lee, and shut down the factory. After two years of investigation and the ensuing trials, in February 2003 a Federal jury convicted Lee on 11 counts of involuntary servitude and charges of money laundering, extortion, and conspiracy.

In April 2002, American Samoa's highest court ruled in the class action lawsuit, Nguyen Thi Nga et al. v. Daewoosa Samoa, Ltd, Kil-Soo Lee et al., that the government of Vietnam was jointly and severally liable with Lee for $3.5 million in damages to the 321 Vietnamese victims who had been exploited at his sweatshop.

At the June 20 hearing on Vietnam before the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations, Dr. Thang called on the U.S. government to put press Vietnam to pay the $3.5 million in damages to the victims. President Bush was to meet with Vietnam's Prime Minister the following day.

"Vietnam has failed to prosecute the Deputy Director of Labour Export Management at the Ministry of the Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs, who was behind this trafficking scheme. It is very disappointing that the Department of State took Vietnam off the Watch List in this year's Trafficking in Persons report," he added.