THE Malaysian chair of the Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights Board expressed concern over reports that a Cambodian maid was deported home due to her social media comments about the Cambodian government.
Charles Santiago, the former Klang MP said that Asean parliamentarians are upset over the incident.
"Each (10) Asean member has a charter on human rights to be used as a reference. We have to constantly remind ourselves that there is such an understanding."
Foreign wire reports have surfaced that a Cambodian woman who worked as a maid in Malaysia has been deported to her country for comments she posted on social media criticising Cambodian government leaders.
A Cambodia prison official and an opposition activist were quoted saying that Nuon Toeun, 36, who had worked in Malaysia for several years, was arrested last week by Malaysian authorities following a request from the Cambodian government.
Human rights groups have criticised several Southeast Asian governments for helping each other harass, detain and deport political dissidents in exile.
New York-based Human Rights Watch has urged all governments to stop forcing political dissidents to return to their authoritarian home countries, including Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and China, where they might face torture, persecution or death.
Nuon Toeun’s arrest came shortly after a Cambodian investigative journalist Mech Dara, known for exposing online scams and corruption, was charged with incitement to commit a felony for material he posted on social media.
Concern is growing among media watchdogs over the arrest of the Cambodian journalist who helped expose human trafficking fueling online scam centres, with several governments and rights groups calling for his immediate release.
Santiago said that the matter is equally of concern to Malaysia as many of its young citizens were allegedly duped into working for scam call centres in Cambodia.
The Home Ministry with the help of civil societies, including the MCA Public Complaints Bureau, as well as Human Resources Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong, were all involved in seeking the release of Malaysians caught up in the scam's web.
Malaysia is scheduled to chair the Asean grouping next year where collectively, in 2022, its joint gross domestic product was worth USD$3.6 trillion, making it the fifth largest economy in the world.
This is more than double the GDP of US$1.6 trillion in 2009. - October 4, 2024.
