It all started when the newly hired hand for his transport business did not have a birth certificate or an identity card.

"I was shocked that at this age and day I had with me a 19-year-old man without any identification documents," said P Sarawanan, 29.

"More shocking was the fact that this man's wife too had no identification papers," added Sarawanan, who is also a scrap metal dealer.

This was in August 2005 and the place was in Triang, Pahang. The couple without any identification were P Ramudu and his heavily pregnant wife A Kalaivany who had just escaped from the clutches of the owner-cum-employer from Kampung Serampang Indah, near Bahau in Negri Sembilan.

The owner, S Maren, 'owned' and controlled nine families to work in palm oil plantations there. They worked as bonded labourers for him.

Remaining in the plantation were Kalaivany's parents plus six siblings and Ramudu's widowed mother.

After walking towards freedom from Maren, Ramudu found himself asking for work with Sarawanan.

"I came to realise the plight of the families under Maren after talking to Ramudu," said Sarawanan was has long established his business in Triang after moving there from Kajang, Selangor at a young age.

"I also realised that there were many other labourers at the plantation without any form of legal identification.

"But more interestingly I became aware of the hardship they were suffering under their employer," said Sarawanan, who is also the deputy youth chief of Parti Keadilan Rakyat, Pahang.

Surrounded and beaten

He said that at that stage, his concern was to obtain birth certificates and identity cards for Ramudu (photo) and his wife. However officials at the National Registration Department (NRD) wanted to see documentary evidence from the parents of the two.

"So in December 2005, I went to Kampung Serampang Indah to see Kalaivany's family and I began to have first hand knowledge of how these bonded labourers were being treated," he said.

After that, he started hatching an escape plan for M Avadiar's family (Kalaivany's father). Ramudu's mother chose to remain at the plantation.

"But my first priority was to get the necessary documents for Ramudu and his wife. With that in mind, in early January 2006, I smuggled Avadiar and his wife out of the plantation to the NRD in Bahau.

"Luckily, Maren wasn't at the plantation when I brought them out," he said.

But Sarawanan's luck ran out when he went back to the plantation to send back Avadiar and his wife.

"It was about 10pm. Maren and some of his people blocked my car as we entered the plantation.

"They took away Avadiar and his wife but started to assault me and a friend who was with me," he said.

In the physical altercation, Sarawanan suffered several blows to his head and body while his friend suffered a parang cut in his hand.

"Maren then took us to his house and continued to beat us. I was really scared as we were in his place, surrounded by his people. Only after much pleading and begging did he let us go," he added.

Sarawanan then lodged a police report, after which Maren was arrested and later released on police bail.

Things were quiet for some time and then in August 2006, Avadiar, his wife and a son had secretly walked out of the plantation to visit Kalaivany and Ramudu.

As soon as they returned to the plantation, the whole Avadiar family was rounded up and beaten by Maren.

"Kalaivany found out about this and I helped her lodge a police report against Maren. The whole family and Maren were brought to the Ayer Hitam police station for questioning.

"Maren however said it was a family feud but four members of the Avadiar family and four from Maren's side, including him, have been charged with alleged assault," he said.

The case will be heard at the Bahau magistrate's court on Jan 31.

'He kidnapped my workers'

Sarawanan said that he then took Avadiar's wife and children away to his house in Triang. Avadiar however followed Maren back to the plantation.

Three days later Avadiar also walked out of the plantation and joined his family in Triang.

The family then went to stay in a Felda settlement in Kerayong before finally moving to work for a Felda settler in Tementi, both in Pahang.

"We have not heard from Maren since that day at the Ayer Hitam police station," said Sarawanan.

Maren (photo) told malaysiakini that he knows where the Avadiar family was but he was not interested in getting them back.

He also accused Sarawanan of kidnapping his workers from the plantation.

"And yes, for that I did beat him and his friend. But they too beat me. But how would you feel if someone enters your house and takes away your things," he asked.

But Sarawanan said that Maren did not own the Avadiar family or anyone else in the plantation.

"They have the right to be free... the right to move about. He shouldn't control them and dictate their lives," said Sarawanan, who has been providing not just moral but financial support as well for the Avadiar family.

"I just hope all the other bonded labourers, not just those with Maren, but also others found in plantations throughout Malaysia, are allowed to live life on their own terms.

"We are an independent nation and we should not have modern-day slavery in our midst," he said.

Click here to watch a
10-minute video clip.

Next: Why we still have bonded labourers

Wednesday: Escape from slavery
Thursday: Contractor denies supplying slave labour