The Expat

A carefree life in comfortable Singapore turns into a woman's worst nightmare

Newly arrived Singapore expat Julia meets a new, intriguing neighbour, Dave. Before too long, Dave and Julia spy on each other across the condo pool with binoculars and enter a short-lived affair. However, there's something about Dave that makes Julia uneasy. When Dave's maid, Angelica, dies in suspicious circum-stances, Julia starts an investigation. She inadvertantly uncovers a Malaysian businessman involved with young boys and finds herself in danger from many quarters in Singapore and Malaysia. Julia gets too close, is kidnapped and is made to watch foreign labourors abusing young girls in one of Dave's forest brothels — just one horrific result of human trafficking.

The Expat is a story of loneliness, greed, love and infidelity in Singapore, where luxury expat life is set against the harrowing and less visible society of exploitation and prostitution. Every day people are exploited: in construction, as domestic help or in the sex industry. Singapore is a hub for international trafficking.

There are no (international) anti-trafficking laws, there is little or no detection or prosecution. It is not a priority for the government. Because of the low risk and overhead costs, more and more drug dealers change to trafficking in human beings.