Ex-detainees still want to work abroad

KUCHING: Many of the 40 Sarawakians, who had endured more than two month inside a provincial prison in Cambodia, expressed their deep regret over the incident and vowed to never seek employment overseas.

However, some of them said they would not mind to try again – only next time, they would be more alert and careful so that they would not fall victim to scams like they did in Cambodia.

Ramlie Chuna from Kampung Tema Mawang in Serian said prior to Cambodia, he had worked in Singapore.

“Going overseas again would not be a problem for me.

“However, I will be more careful next time, as I have learnt my lesson. I just see this (being jailed in Cambodia) as one of my life experiences, and that’s it,” he told reporters when met at Kuching International Airport (KIA) yesterday.

Ramlie and the other 39 Sarawakians were reunited with their family members at KIA’s VIP Lounge moments after their flight touched down at around 2.30pm

They were among the 47 Malaysians who had been detained at the Banteay Manchey Provincial Prison near Siem Reap, Cambodia since Dec 11 last year, but were released at 6.30pm (Cambodian time) on Friday (Feb 15) after investigations proved that they were victims of a human trafficking syndicate.

Another former detainee, Abdul Mustaqqim Abdul Karim from Kuching, also said he would look forward to ‘another overseas adventure’, but was quick to reiterate Ramlie’s point: “We will be more careful next time.”

However, the 24-year-old still regarded the whole Cambodian episode as his ‘worst fear’.

He said he was promised a job in the hotel industry in Cambodia – only to be told later on that such vacancy was unavailable.

He got even more disappointed when he was asked to work in places such as casinos.

“I told them that I had no experience in working at places like casinos, but they insisted that I must learn. It was then when I realised that there’s something not quite right with the deal that brought me there.

“My worst fear came true when I was detained,” said Abdul Mustaqqim.

His story was more or less the same with the other 39 Sarawakians – that they were all promised good jobs in the hotel industry.

“At first, they (the syndicate who brought the Malaysians to Cambodia) told me that I was going to work at any of the hotels there, but upon reaching the country, they told me that there were no jobs available; hence, I needed to do other types of jobs.

“I rejected their offer as I only wanted what was promised to me and that’s it,” said Ramuna Lovita, who is from Kampung Sungai Pinang in Simunjan.

She said while the syndicate took good care of them, it limited her contact with her family in Sarawak.

For the family members, all of them were just glad that their loved ones had made it back safely to Sarawak.

Accompanying the former detainees on the flight here from Cambodia were Santubong MP Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, and Minister of Welfare, Community Well Being, Women, Family and Childhood Development Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah, who led the Sarawak government delegation to help secure the release of the Sarawakians.