Delegation visits houses where group was arrested
KUCHING: A pair of three-storey houses were among the places visited by the state delegation led by Sarawak Welfare, Community Wellness, Women, Family and Childhood Development Minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah in Poipet, Banteay Mancheay, Cambodia, yesterday.
It is understood that the 47 Malaysian detainees were arrested at the houses on Dec 11.
The Malaysians, who arrived in Cambodia in batches beginning October, were locked in these houses by what is believed to be a human trafficking syndicate.
Windows in the houses were barred, the glass panes covered so that no sunlight could penetrate inside and the compound was surrounded by high fences.
Sources said the houses also had hidden rooms underground, where the syndicate also ran an illegal online gaming business.
“It was here that Cambodian authorities found computers and tablets used by the syndicate for their illegal gaming business when they raided the place on Dec 11.
“It was during the raid that Cambodian police arrested 55 people, including 47 Malaysians,” said one source.
He said when neighbours were asked whether they knew what was going on at the two houses, they said they did not and added that those in the houses never stepped out.
Besides Fatimah, the delegation included Santubong member of parliament Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar and the Foreign Ministry’s Sarawak regional office director Deddy Faisal Ahmad Salleh.
The delegation, accompanied by deputy head of mission and charge d’affaires of the Malaysian embassy in Phnom Penh, Ruzaimi Mohamad, had met the detainees.
Sources said the delegation and detainees spoke for an hour.
“They will meet with Minister in the Cambodian Prime Minister’s Department in charge of Muslim affairs (Oknha Datuk Dr) Othsman Hassan, as well as representatives of the Cambodian Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Min-
istry,” said a source.
Fatimah said based on information the delegation received, the case was under police investigation.
She said Banteay Mancheay police were trying to track down members of the syndicate, including its leader.
“The Sarawak government is prepared to help the detainees, including bearing all legal costs, and will act according to local laws, and will provide counselling.”