Hundreds of Vietnamese citizens tricked into illegal jobs in Cambodia rescued: spokesperson

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang (Photo: VNA)

The spokesperson said cases in which Vietnamese citizens were cheated into illegal jobs and detained in Cambodia reported by the media took place in areas under the charge of the Vietnamese Consulate General in Battambang province.

The Consulate General has coordinated with authorities of Cambodian localities to take measures to assist and rescue Vietnamese citizens tricked into illegal jobs in areas along the Cambodia-Thailand border, Hang said.

According to her, the Consulate General had rescued and repatriated around 100 Vietnamese citizens between July and September this year. Since the end of September, the Consulate General has also coordinated with local administrations to free another 171 citizens.

After rescuing the labourers from the illegal employers, the Consulate General has sent officials to meet them and rolled out citizen protection measures, such as providing essential supplies and conducting repatriating procedures.

The spokesperson added that the Consular Department under the Foreign Ministry is also working with relevant agencies and localities to verify the rescued citizens’ identification and receive them back from Cambodia.  

In the time ahead, Vietnamese agencies (the Foreign Ministry and representative missions in Cambodia) will continue to work with Cambodian authorities and ask the Cambodian side to intensify inspections of the above-mentioned areas to rescue any Vietnamese citizens tricked into illegal jobs, while undertaking citizen protection measures to ensure legitimate rights and interests of Vietnamese citizens, the spokesperson said./.