PHNOM PENH: At least 475 Indonesian nationals are calling on their embassy and the Indonesian government to facilitate their return home after being detained for their involvement in online scamming operations.
The group is currently being held at a temporary facility at Phnom Penh’s former Pochentong Airport.
Speaking to reporters this week, the Indonesians shared that many of the detainees are waiting on travel documents from their embassy, while others lack the financial means to purchase air tickets.
The majority of the group have violated Cambodian immigration law, having entered the country to work illegally in online scam centres and then subsequently overstayed their visas.
It was unclear whether they were knowingly recruited or tricked or trafficked into the scam operations.
According to sources involved in the deportation process, as the Cambodian government intensified its crackdown on online scams, most of these individuals fled their “workplaces” and sought refuge at the Indonesian embassy in Phnom Penh.
Because many lacked passports or immediate assistance from the embassy, authorities transferred them to a warehouse facility at Pochentong Airport to await processing.
During the interviews, the detainees complained of difficult living conditions and urged their government — specifically the Indonesian embassy — to facilitate their return to their home country as soon as possible.
The group claimed that while the embassy had previously provided food and emergency travel documents to some individuals, this support was terminated on Aug 30, with the embassy citing a lack of further funding.
The Post has not yet received a response from the Indonesian Embassy regarding the detainee’s claims. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN
