Dien Bien (VNA) – A total of 11 Vietnamese citizens were handed over to Dien Bien provincial border guards via Tay Trang international border gate by the Security Department of Lao province of Bokeo on December 27.
Three of them had travelled to Laos to seek jobs but faced unstable income and expired residence permits, prompting them to contact Lao authorities for assistance in returning to Vietnam.
The eight remainders, however, were ensnared by the deceptive allure of social media or lured by friends and acquaintances to Myanmar with promises of easy work and high pay. Upon their arrival, traffickers confiscated their phones and personal documents, forcing them into online gambling operations and scam-based sales. These victims were given daily work quotas, and those who failed to meet them were beaten, fined, and left without food.
Fearing for their safety, they attempted to escape from Myanmar to Laos and contacted local authorities for help to return to Vietnam.
Among the victims, one from Bac Lieu was successfully rescued by the Drug and Crime Prevention and Control Department under the Border Guard High Command in collaboration with the Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation during a raid on an online gambling operation in Myanmar.
A day earlier, the Tay Trang international border guard station decided to initiate a criminal case against an illegal human trafficking ring across the border./.
Authorities working with Cambodia to rescue Vietnamese lured into illegal work
Spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) Le Thi Thu Hang said on October 6 that Vietnamese authorities are working closely with relevant agencies of Cambodia to deal with the issue of Vietnamese people tricked or lured to Cambodia for illegal work.
