261 Malaysian job scam victims in Cambodia rescued - Foreign Ministry

KUALA LUMPUR: Some 261 Malaysian victims who had fallen victims to job scam syndicates and who were stranded in Cambodia, have been successfully rescued so far.

According to a statement from the Foreign Ministry on Saturday, 171 victims have been brought back to Malaysia and the remaining 90 are still waiting for the repatriation process.

AirAsia Flight AK535, on Sept 30, is the latest flight to bring home 13 more victims.

The Foreign Ministry and the Malaysian diplomatic missions in the countries involved continue to be committed in establishing a close cooperative relationship with the Governments of the countries concerned to intensify efforts to locate, rescue and bring back home safely Malaysian citizens who are victims of this syndicates.

"The public is advised to immediately lodge a report with the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) and contact the Foreign Ministry if any of their family members fall victim to job scam syndicates offering employment abroad.

"The Foreign Ministry is always committed to ensuring the safety and welfare of Malaysian families abroad," added the statement.

In order to deal with the issue of job scam syndicates offering jobs abroad in a more integrated and comprehensive manner, the first meeting of the Special Committee chaired by Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah took place online on Sept 27.

The meeting was also attended by nine other Ministries or Agencies, namely the Prime Minister's Department; Attorney General's Chambers; Home Ministry; Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM); Malaysian Immigration Department; Ministry of Communications and Multimedia (K-KOM); Ministry of Human Resources; Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission.

Among the proposals and actions that have been and will be implemented at this Special Committee Meeting are, among others, holding a meeting with the heads of diplomatic missions of the countries involved on Sept 30.

The heads of diplomatic missions have expressed the commitment of their respective Governments to provide close cooperation in dealing with this issue.

The heads of Malaysian diplomatic missions in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand have also been asked to keep trying to resolve this issue quickly and thoroughly.

The Foreign Ministry together with PDRM is also now coordinating efforts to enable closer cooperation between PDRM and the authorities of the countries concerned via special meetings to address this issue.

The Foreign Ministry has also held discussions with K-KOM to prepare a more comprehensive Communication Plan to provide exposure and awareness to the public and target groups so that they are not easily deceived and trapped by this syndicates.

-- BERNAMA