Speak up on job scam issue, PM and ministers told

 

PKR assemblyman Sim Chon Siang, seen with Miss A and Miss B, says many Malaysian scam victims are still trapped in countries like Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and the Philippines.

PETALING JAYA: A PKR assemblyman has urged Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob and his Cabinet to call on their counterparts in Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and the Philippines to expedite the return of Malaysians held by scam syndicates there.

At a press conference joined by two Malaysians who were recently rescued from syndicates in Cambodia, Teruntum assemblyman Sim Chon Siang said there were many other Malaysians who were still trapped in those countries.

“He (the prime minister) has to make the call to speed up their return. There are a lot of Malaysians still stuck in those countries,” said Sim.

The victims present with Sim – known simply as Miss A and Miss B – had been trapped in Cambodia since June.

Both had fallen victim to a false job advertisement and had travelled to Thailand under the pretence of working as “shopping runners”, but were whisked away to Cambodia upon arriving in Bangkok.

To be released, each family was forced to pay the syndicate US$35,000. The two women were then sent to a Cambodian police station where they had no access to food and water for two days.

“After taking their statements, the police did nothing. They didn’t give them food or water,” Sim claimed.

Two days later, they were sent to an immigration detention centre, where they were forced to stay for two months.

“Why is it that the Malaysian embassy in Pnom Penh needed two months (to facilitate their return)?” he asked, adding that when questioned on the delay, the embassy said their requests were being processed.

Upon learning of the situation, Sim said he reached out to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, and both Miss A and Miss B were able to be returned to Malaysia two days later. - FMT