Vietnam receives over 100 citizens repatriated by Cambodia over involvement in gambling activities

On Thursday, Vietnam said that it had received more than 100 citizens who had been imprisoned and brought back by Cambodian authorities on charges of participating in gambling enterprises.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Pham Thu Hang, a spokesperson, said at a news conference that these individuals, who were found to be working illegally at an internet gambling establishment in Cambodia, were assisted in their return by the Vietnamese Consulate in Sihanoukville. With help from Vietnamese and Cambodian authorities, the repatriation happened on March 9 and they were able to return on March 11 via the Prek Chak-Ha Tien border crossing.

According to earlier reports, on March 9, Cambodian agents stormed the Paradis Island casino and detained 172 foreigners, 109 of them were nationals of Vietnam. After that, these individuals were sent to the Immigration Department of Cambodia in order to be deported.

According to Thai PBS on March 7, Thai police detained 18 Vietnamese nationals during a search of a Bangkok home in relation to the events in Cambodia. Since November 2023, the three Vietnamese people have been under suspicion of operating an online gambling network.

In order to verify the identity of the Vietnamese detained, Hang said that the Vietnamese Embassy in Bangkok is in contact with Thai authorities. She said that these individuals were being held on suspicion of organizing or aiding gambling businesses.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs cautioned Vietnamese people to exercise caution while considering lucrative foreign job opportunities that do not need formal qualifications or contracts.

“We urge all citizens to thoroughly research the details of job offers, including job locations, the identities of interviewers, insurance policies, and their labor rights before deciding to work abroad,” Hang said.

Original story by: VN Express International