OKU man stranded in Myanmar after RM30,000 a month job offer

 

Ah Lee showing pictures where he suspects his nephew is being held in Myanmar. At right is Perak MCA public service and complaints bureau chief Low Guo Nan. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: A man with learning disabilities (OKU), known as Ah Choong, 22, is reported to have been stranded in Myanmar since December after being lured there by a syndicate which promised him a job with a high salary.

The victim’s uncle, Ah Lee, 48, said he found out about this after receiving 55 notifications on Choong’s phone for bank transactions for more than RM90,000.

He said Choong’s bank account had apparently been used by the syndicate to accept money from victims of scams.

“I managed to contact him last week. He begged me for money to pay the syndicate and return to Malaysia,” he said at a press conference held at the Perak MCA building here today, Bernama reported.

He said he lodged a report at the Pasir Puteh police station here on Wednesday so that Choong could be brought home safely by the authorities.

Ah Lee said Choong was promised a salary of US$7,000 (RM30,700) per month, but was later told he would be transferred to another company as his job in customer service was not satisfactory.

Another human trafficking victim, known only as Ah Meng, 32, contacted via Facebook, said he had been stranded in Cambodia for the past five months after being lured there with a casino job but was instead hired as an online scammer.

“I was confined with seven Chinese victims and one Thai in one room. I felt very scared because I did not have US$13,000 to pay as compensation to return home,” he told his father via a Facebook video call during the press conference.

The mother of another victim, Madam Lee, 60, said her eldest son of three went missing in February and was believed to be in captivity in Bangkok.

“Previously, my son worked in Kuala Lumpur as a waiter. He would often send home money to me, but now I can only contact him through the Messenger app on Facebook, controlled by a syndicate,” she said.

She had also lodged a report at the Pekan Baru police station here on March 29.

Perak MCA public service and complaints bureau chief Low Guo Nan said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission should filter out and delete social media postings on fraudulent job advertisements so that human trafficking syndicates don’t trap more victims.

Perak police chief Mior Faridalathrash Wahid said police were reviewing the reports made by the victim’s families for further action. - FMT