KUALA LUMPUR – Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah (Indera Mahkota-Bersatu) has applied for allocation in the 2023 budget to fund efforts to rescue job scam victims stuck overseas.
He said there is currently no allocation for this purpose, and the ministry has been asking help from various parties to ensure the smooth return of Malaysians rescued from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand.
“There was a time when Airasia prepared a flight to bring back 47 victims from Cambodia. That was on a humanitarian basis and AirAsia did not charge us.
“That is why we have applied for an allocation for this in Budget 2023.”
He said this in response to Maszlee Malik’s (Simpang Renggam-PH) supplementary question on the government’s cost to rescue job scam victims overseas, during the Dewan Rakyat session today.
Saifuddin added the allocation is needed for the consular service to monitor the wellbeing and health of Malaysians stranded overseas.
A total of 261 Malaysians who are victims of job scams in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand have been rescued from April to September this year. Of that, 171 have returned to Malaysia while 90 are waiting for the repatriation process.
Earlier, Saifuddin said the government will go all out to rescue victims of the syndicate, even if there is only one victim.
He said authorities of the four countries have been accommodating and cooperative in the rescue missions.
He assured that the ministry is taking action on each report relating to job scams it receives from the victim’s family, but said the rescue mission would take time as it has to follow procedures in the country, which include investigation and intelligence work, rescue mission and documentation processes. – The Vibes, October 4, 2022
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