KUCHING: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is expected to assist 47 youngsters who are victims of recent human-trafficking in Cambodia.
According to Julau Member of Parliament, Larry Soon, in a press conference yesterday, almost all of the victims are from poor families in Sarawak.
“Most of them are young, aged around 18 to 20 years. They were promised high-paying jobs by scammers.
“They have paid hundreds of US dollars to the agency and on arrival in Cambodia, they have been housed in a private home for a few weeks before being arrested by the Cambodian police on online gambling charges,” he explained.
He said the 47 Malaysians were held for a week in a lock-up and then transferred to a provincial jail 446km from the capital on Dec 16 last year.
He said some families of the victims had gone to Cambodia to find out where their children were.
A check with the Malaysian Embassy in Cambodia did not reveal any information pertaining to the arrest and whereabouts of the 47 Malaysians.
“The family members came to know about the victims from a Cambodian local newspaper and they learned that their children would be locked up by the police for three years without being charged in court.
“They have not been brought to a court of law to be charged or to be remanded. It is my hope that the federal government would provide assistance in dealing with this situation. Their safety is of paramount concern to their parents,” he said, adding a quarter of the victims were young girls.
