Vietnam and Cambodia have saved over 1,000 Vietnamese citizens who have been tricked to work illegally in Cambodia, said Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang during a regular press conference in Hanoi on September 22.
Hang said the ministry and Vietnamese representative agencies are paying close attention to protecting citizens as a great number of Vietnamese nationals have been scammed into illegal labour in Cambodia by brokers.
Recently, under the Foreign Ministry's close direction, Vietnamese representative agencies in Cambodia have taken the initiative in working with host authorities to expand investigations, and verify and rescue Vietnamese citizens who have been tricked and brokered to work illegally in Cambodia.
She said the ministry and Vietnamese representative agencies in Cambodia have worked effectively with domestic units such as the Border Guard High Command , the Ministry of Public Security’s Immigration Department, and localities such as Kien Giang, An Giang, Tay Ninh and Long An, thus creating favourable conditions for the identification and repatriation of Vietnamese nationals.
As of September 21, 2022, more than 1000 Vietnamese nationals have been rescued and thousands of others have received legal support, according to the spokesperson.
Meanwhile, Cambodia’s competent agencies have also actively helped Vietnamese representative agencies. Since early September, Cambodia has raided criminal organisations that detained and forced workers to work illegally, bringing the number of rescued victims to about 400.
The Vietnamese Foreign Ministry and representative agencies will continue working closely with domestic agencies, localities and the Cambodian side to strengthen consular work and citizen protection in Cambodia, promptly settle arising problems, bring home victims of scams and illegal labour, and most importantly, ensure their legitimate rights and interests.
