SIBU (Sept 27): The government has been called on to set up a special task force to regulate travel to Cambodia and Myanmar in order to address rising cases of Malaysians caught by job scams in those countries.

In making the call, Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) Bukit Assek treasurer Raymond Tiong said action is necessary to prevent the people from ending up as victims.

“If the visit is genuine, then the government should introduce special passes to the people before they go to these two countries on official business. This is all for the safety and benefit of those planning to go there,” he said in a statement.

He suggested the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should immediately summon the ambassadors of Cambodia and Myanmar to discuss how to resolve job scam cases in their countries.

He claimed there were many cases of jobseekers ending up becoming victims after reaching the two countries.

“When the family members wanted to bring them back, they had to pay a certain amount of ransom money but, unfortunately, the money often ended up in corrupt hands, hence causing more misery to the victims,” he said.

He also claimed corruption in Cambodia and Myanmar was why it was difficult for families to bring back members who had ended up becoming job scam victims.

“The negotiation process is very long and sometimes the victims were released but, on many occasions, they were not so lucky and had to continue suffering due to the corruption problems in these two countries,” he said.

Tiong, a Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) councilor, suggested the Ministry of Foreign Affairs work together with other Asean countries to resolve the issue and urgently bring the victims back.

He said the relevant authorities should provide more information to those planning to work abroad in order for them to think twice before embarking on a possibly dangerous path.

“Do not be easily duped by the promises of good lucrative pay offered by these two backward countries and then embark on your journey before taking into full consideration the risks involved,” he stressed.

“What they did not expect was that after they arrived at the destinations, they are usually confined by the syndicate that brought them there and were forced to do fraudulent and illegal works like running Macau scams. If they did not perform well, they would be beaten. And only then, all the fear and regrets surfaced and, by then, it was already too late.”

He also called on parents to monitor their children’s movements so that they are not easily duped by such scammers.

Source:
courtesy of THE BORNEO POST

by Raymond Tiong

If you have any stories or news that you would like to share with the global online community, please feel free to share it with us by contacting us directly at [email protected]