Sarawak to send delegation to Banteay Mancheay Prison
KUCHING: The Sarawak government will send a delegation to the Banteay Mancheay Prison in Cambodia today to check the condition of Sarawakians who have been held there since Dec 11.
The delegation, led by state Welfare, Community Wellness, Women, Family and Childhood Development Minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah, will check on the 40 Sarawakians who were detained with seven other Malaysians — three each from Sabah and Selangor, and one from Kuala Lumpur.
Fatimah has been given full authority to act on behalf of Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg.
Other members of the delegation are Santubong member of parliament Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, in his capacity as a legal practitioner, as well as Sarawak Foreign Ministry regional office director Deddy Faisal Mohd Salleh.
Fatimah said the main focus of the delegation would be to ensure that the Sarawakians detained there have proper legal advice and their welfare was looked after.
“But this is not just about Sarawakians... we will also aid the other Malaysians held there to ensure that their rights are taken care of.
“The delegation will leave today for Siem Reap and is expected back on Saturday,” she said.
The Malaysians were detained by Banteay Mancheay police in Poipet, on suspicion of being involved in online gambling.
However, police only informed the Malaysian embassy in Phnom Penh 17 days later.
Checks by embassy officers found that the Malaysians had been duped by a “recruitment agency”, believed to be a front for a human trafficking syndicate, with promises of lucrative salaries of between US$100 and US$200 (RM406.63 and RM813.26) a day as promoters of a “high-end electrical goods brand” for three months.
They are being held at the Banteay Mancheay Prison, some 446km from Phnom Penh.
Asked what would happen if all 47 were released, Fatimah said the state government was looking into helping them return home.