Dong Nai (VNA) – The border guard post at the Hoa Lu International Border Gate in southern Dong Nai province on December 17 coordinated with relevant agencies to receive 63 Vietnamese citizens handed over by Cambodian authorities.
Among those repatriated, 42 individuals had escaped from online scam facilities in Cambodia’s Oddar Meanchey province.
Initial verification results showed that the 63 citizens, comprising 59 men and four women aged between 16 and 44, come from 24 provinces and cities nationwide. Ho Chi Minh City accounted for the largest number with 14 people, followed by Lam Dong, Vinh Long and Hai Phong with five each, and Dong Nai with two.
After completing reception procedures, the citizens were provided with medical check-ups, initial health care, food and drinking water before authorities conducted further examination and took preliminary statements.
According to several returnees, they had been lured or deceived into travelling to Cambodia and were then forced to work at online scam centres. Upon arrival, their mobile phones and personal documents were confiscated. They were subjected to forced labour, harsh living and working conditions, and unpaid work and were unable to contact their families. Those who failed to meet work requirements were threatened, assaulted, or even sold from one location to another like commodities.
The Vietnamese Consulate General in Battambang has requested foreign affairs agencies in the 24 Vietnamese provinces and cities whose citizens were repatriated to report the case to provincial authorities and coordinate with local police, Dong Nai police, and the Hoa Lu International Border Gate's border guard post to receive their residents.
This marked the third time the border guard post of the Hoa Lu International Border Gate has received Vietnamese citizens handed over by Cambodia, bringing the total number to 213. On November 4, the unit received 65 Vietnamese citizens.
To prevent Vietnamese citizens from being lured into Cambodia for online scam activities, the post has stepped up patrols and tightened border control and immigration procedures, while coordinating with competent agencies to raise public awareness and prevent illegal border crossings./.
