Escape from forced labour

Forced labour: Barbed wire fences are seen outside a shuttered Great Wall Park compound where Cambodian authorities recovered evidence of human trafficking, kidnapping and torture during raids on suspected cybercrime compounds in the coastal city of Sihanoukville. — Reuters

PETALING JAYA: Hundreds of workers, including Malaysians, all believed to be victims of human trafficking, illegal confinement and torture, have been rescued by Cambodian authorities from suspected cybercrime compounds across the South-East Asian country in a series of raids.In one such raid at the coastal town of Sihanoukville some 200km from Phnom Penh, a total of 403 people were rescued.

Of the number, 130 Chinese and 11 Vietnamese were found to be illegal immigrants. The other 262 foreigners, which included Malaysians and Taiwanese, were found to be in Cambodia with valid visas but without work permits.