Author: Zheng Sufen
Associated Press
Phnom Penh, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodia said on Aug. 19 that it was trying to help foreigners victimized by human traffickers after Taiwan said it was seeking to release more than 300 citizens lured to Southeast Asia. A country made up of organized crime groups.
Most educated young people were promised high-paying tech jobs but were then forced to work in call centres, mostly by tricking mainland Chinese into paying non-existent government fees or investment opportunities.
Interior Minister Sar Kheng said his ministry was conducting nationwide checks on all foreigners living in Cambodia, except for embassy staff. He said it will specifically look for foreigners who have been victimized by human traffickers.
Police in Kandar and Sihanoukville provinces last week checked the status of foreigners living or working in hotels, rental properties and casinos, he said.
Sar Kheng said several people were arrested on suspicion of organising human trafficking, and some apparent victims were protected. He said police were still trying to determine whether those who claimed to be victims were telling the truth.
Sar Kheng did not specify the number of people rounded up or their nationalities, but confirmed that some foreigners told police they were attracted to so-called high-paying legal jobs.
After arriving in Cambodia, however, they were forced to work illegally in jobs “that they did not agree with,” Sar Kheng said.
Separately, National Police Deputy Commissioner General Chhay Sinarith said Cambodian authorities have uncovered many illegal online schemes to lure illegal workers in recent years and have arrested hundreds of people from China and Taiwan for their involvement.
Scammers, mainly from China, use Cambodia as a base for extorting funds, Chhay Snarith said.
On August 19, the Taiwanese government said 333 Taiwanese citizens were trapped in Cambodia after being lured by criminal groups promising high-paying tech jobs, according to reports of families seeking help. The situation is further complicated by the fact that Cambodia, a close ally of China, refuses to recognize Taiwan or have any official ties to the Taipei government.
Taiwanese media has been widely reporting on the plight of those trapped online. Police at Taiwan’s main Taoyuan International Airport have been patrolling with signs warning of the dangers of fake high salaries in Southeast Asia.
Authorities in Taiwan have also been contacting travel agencies to expose the scams, and more than a dozen people have been arrested over a recruitment scheme designed to lure young people into high-paying jobs in computer engineering and similar fields.
It has also become a political issue, with a handful of KMT accusing the ruling DPP of inaction on the matter. Prime Minister Su Zengchang called for diplomatic outreach and a crackdown on local criminal groups that organize fraud.
KMT deputy secretary-general Li Yanxiu said more public outreach was needed to deal with fake job offers.
