Opportunities to work as housekeepers in Singapore with a salary of over US$1,000 are among positions advertised online by self-proclaimed agents to lure Malaysians into becoming "scammers" based in KK Garden in Myawaddy, Myanmar.
Mohd Farhan Azman, 19, left his home in Parit Raja, Muar, Johor, to take up the offer in Singapore, which he eventually discovered did not exist.
Instead, Farhan was offered another supposed housekeeping job in Bangkok, Thailand, at the same salary - nearly three times Malaysia's minimum wage and with no qualifications.
Farhan and a friend, Muhammad Riduan Arif, 21, also from Parit Raja, were among six Malaysians rescued from KK Garden and landed at KLIA this afternoon, the most recent group after a total of 261 individuals who returned from Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar between April and September this year.
Accompanied by Teruntum assemblyperson Sim Chon Siang, they walked out into the arrival hall at around 1.45pm, greeted by waiting parents and family members in a teary embrace.
"Farhan left in September. He was not the only one, because I heard he had other friends who also went.
"They followed someone who I don't know, but I heard that person 'treated' them to whatever they want in JB before going to Singapore," said Azman Omar, Farhan's father.
From Singapore's Changi Airport, the victims were flown to Bangkok, where they were "escorted" on a perilous journey via illegal routes heading towards Mae Sot on the Thai border into Myawaddy, where 'KK Garden' - notorious as a hub for online scammers - is located within a large, secluded compound under heavy security.
"Once they arrived in Bangkok, two to three men with pistols will take them to Mae Sot and trap them.
"They can't get out. The wall is four metres high and there are barbed wires. It would be impossible to escape," Sim told reporters at KLIA.
Sim said he personally witnessed individuals armed with rifles guarding the area, from where he had stood on the Thai border separated by the Moei River.
Sim revealed scenes of torture within the four walls from victims who shared videos of physical beatings and other forms of abuse that had allegedly claimed lives, including Malaysians.
'Online love scams'
While in captivity, the victims were denied contact with outsiders but Farhan's mother, Zahiriah Abdul Rashid, said on several occasions her son managed to inform her of his situation.
Zahiriah said she was told how Farhan was forced to conduct online "love scams" - involving voice-changing software and image manipulation - luring unsuspecting men into transferring money based on a target, a failure which could see him being punished.
In the worst-case scenario, Sim said victims who failed as online scammers could end up dead and their organs harvested for sale on the black market.
"If there is a demand, if you can't perform as a scammer, they might 'cut you'. US$400,000 for a heart, US$20,000 for a pair of eyes, this is what's happening in Myawaddy.
"Right outside the area is a river full of crocodiles and that is where the remains will end up [...] It sounds like scenes from a movie, but it is true," said Sim.
Overall, Sim claimed there are some 1,000 Malaysians still "working" in KK Garden and efforts are ongoing to assist those seeking to return home.
He said in the past, there were ransom demands made in exchange for the safe release of trapped victims, including Farhan and Riduan.
However, the duo's mothers had earlier this month reportedly appealed to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for assistance, attracting international attention over the alleged going-on at KK Garden.
As a result, in a move believed to avoid external pressure, the duo were released across the border into Mae Sot where they reached out to officials from the Malaysian Embassy in Bangkok, who in turn contacted Bangkok-based Malaysian businessperson Victor Wong, an individual known for his success in bringing back victims from KK Garden.
"I got a call from the embassy official who asked for my help, knowing I have connections in Mae Sot.
"So, I arranged for their hotel, sent them money, and they were there for four days," Wong said.
Advice to job seekers
Present at the airport today was Sri Gading MP Aminolhuda Hassan who arranged for Farhan and Riduan's families' journey from Parit Raja to Kuala Lumpur.
In advice to parents and job seekers, the Amanah lawmaker urged caution and to refrain from accepting offers that seemed too good to be true.
"If the salary offered to seem too high for the level of qualification required, or the advertised position, that could be a sign of a scam," he said.
Aside from Farhan and Riduan, four other victims who returned today are 30-year-old Yong Ying Yien from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah; 27-year-old Felix Lim from Kota Kinabalu; 27-year-old Wong Chee Hoon from Kuala Lumpur and 28-year-old Lim Han Hsin from Miri, Sarawak. - Mkini
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