Do you have any information about this happening in the past, or the "compound situation" etc?

It is normal practice for workers brought in to start up a new production line.

Chinese workers come in and they barely speak English, and they are kept together at a hotel or at a rental home (compound) with a translator/minder and a local guide to make sure they don't wonder off on their own and get into sticky situations (kidnapped or law enforcement or unsanctioned visits to bars or the local girls).