[UPDATED] Cops rescuing M’sians abroad in debt due to gambling, borrowing from Ah Longs

KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian police have had to help bring home a number of citizens who have been prevented from returning to the country after losing in gambling or owing large sums to illegal moneylending gangs overseas.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail revealed that some of the people in this category of Malaysians who are in trouble overseas are hounded by “Ah Long” (illegal moneylenders) groups to whom they had been made to borrow from.

He said the government needs to accord assistance to them in a similar manner as the hundreds of victims of employment fraud syndicates who are trapped in neighbouring countries.

Most of these citizens have nothing to do with job scams abroad, but still need to be rescued and brought home, he said.

He explained that victims in this category are determined based on information obtained by police through profiling done from interviews.

He said they are mostly naively influenced to travel to the foreign country to engage in gambling activities and accumulate debts.

“From the beginning, they knew that it was a scam but still wanted to try (their luck),” he was quoted as saying by Berita Harian.

They voluntarily went abroad for the purpose of gambling. Upon losing, they were made to take loans from the Ah Longs.

They then got bound and faced various consequences that made it impossible for them to return to Malaysia.

“When they made contact with our embassy in the relevant country, and call police, we take action to rescue them.

“This category has nothing to do with scams, but we rescue them in our missions as if they are victims of scams,” he said.

Saifuddin added that yet another category of Malaysians who are trapped overseas are genuine victims who were deceived from the very start.

“Even though we save them and bring them home, some still venture abroad again,” he lamented.

He said this during an interview on national unity and security in relation to Budget 2024 on TV1 last night.

The rescue operations are managed through various measures, Saifuddin added. Wisma Putra usually solicits help from the embassy of the country concerned.

Malaysian police can also seek cooperation from police in that country.

Another course of action is for police to bring such cases to the Asean Chiefs of National Police (Aseanapol), which is focused on regional cooperation in preventing and combating transnational crime.

Saifuddin had said last Sunday that Malaysians who are victims of human trafficking abroad have the “right to return”, and that the government undertakes every possible effort to rescue and bring them back.

The Malaysia International Humanitarian Organisation (MHO) has expressed concern about nearly 2,000 Malaysians who are believed to have been victims of human trafficking syndicates and are still trapped in neighbouring countries since last year.

Its secretary-general Datuk Hishamuddin Hashim said the MHO has received complaints from numerous families asking for help to bring home their family members. He said that over 1,200 may be doing forced labour in Myanmar.

Saifuddin called on NGOs who have information on victims from their families or via other channels to bring these to the authorities’ attention.

He said the government will conduct detection and rescue operations as soon as complaints are received. He added that it is important to report the figures accurately. – The Vibes, November 7, 2023