Police urged to probe those behind Cambodia job scam

KUCHING: The police are urged to begin probe on local individuals behind the alleged job scam that results in 47 Malaysians being held in a prison in Cambodia, says Mas Gading Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) chairman Boniface Willy Tumek.

He said the people behind the scam, whom he believed are Sarawakians, must be caught and charged in the court of law before more Sarawakians are scammed and locked up abroad.

The former Sarawak PKR vice chairman said revelation by a detainee from Bintulu, as reported by Bernama recently, was a good lead for the local police to begin their probe.

He said the detainee’s confession made it sound like the agent had bought and delivered the airplane tickets to them.

“So, it should not be too difficult to track down the local culprits as these victims should be able to recognise them,” he said when contacted yesterday.

Boniface believed that one could go to Cambodia and stay there for three months without visa and/or a work permit before the authorities could go after the person.

He, however, said reports had it these Sarawakians were arrested after just three weeks means the Cambodian police had prior knowledge of wrong doings at the premises where there were caught.

“I am really pissed off. We have two Bidayuh siblings from a poor family at a village in Bau being locked up abroad. All they wanted was a job to support their family and someone has exploited them.

“The local culprit must be caught and punished,” he said.

Bernama reported on Feb 14 that 23-year-old Lisa (not real name) from Bintulu, one of the 47 Malaysians under detention in Cambodia, said she read about the prospect of a job in an advertisement on WeChat and contacted the agency immediately.

According to her, the advertisement offered jobs in a five-star hotel with a salary of US$1,500 (about RM6,100 a month, apart from providing hostel accommodation and transport.

“The ‘agent’ even provided free flight tickets to Cambodia,” she told Bernama News Channel correspondent who visited the detainees in prison on Thursday.

The report said that in November last year, Lisa left Kuching for Kuala Lumpur before boarding a flight to Siem Reap International Airport where a man was waiting at the arrival hall, and took her to a three-storey bungalow in the Siem Reap district.