At the regular press conference of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the afternoon of October 16, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang answered questions from the press about citizen protection work related to the October 14th incident of Cambodian authorities raiding a facility suspected to be an online scam and arresting Vietnamese citizens.
Spokesperson Pham Thu Hang said: Immediately after receiving the information, Vietnamese representative agencies in Cambodia proactively worked with local authorities to find out information, request the Cambodian side to ensure security, safety and living conditions for Vietnamese citizens, and coordinate to complete initial identity verification procedures.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has directed the Embassy and relevant units to immediately coordinate with domestic authorities and departments to carry out necessary consular procedures to soon bring citizens back home.
"In the coming time, 33 citizens will be brought back to the country" - Ms. Pham Thu Hang said.
Regarding the coordination between Vietnam and Cambodia in bringing citizens back home, the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam emphasized that in the face of the complicated developments of fraud and forced labor crimes in Cambodia, countries have taken drastic measures to protect the rights and interests of their citizens.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is actively exchanging with partner countries to establish cooperation mechanisms to improve the effectiveness of Vietnam's citizen protection work, and fight more effectively against organized crime, high-tech crimes in Cambodia and other locations in the region" - Ms. Pham Thu Hang said.
According to the Spokesperson, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has directed Vietnamese representative agencies in Cambodia to closely monitor the situation, prepare necessary plans and closely coordinate with domestic and local authorities to promptly implement measures to protect citizens.
"Here again, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommends that Vietnamese citizens do not follow invitations for light work and high salaries to avoid being scammed" - Ms. Pham Thu Hang said.
Also at the press conference on the afternoon of October 16, the Spokesperson raised the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' reaction to the recent report that Korean media reported that a Korean woman over 30 years old was found dead in an area near the border between Vietnam and Cambodia with suspicions of being involved in cross-border fraud rings as well as information about whether Vietnam is coordinating with Korean and Cambodian authorities or not.
"We will find out this information. Vietnam is ready to cooperate in handling issues related to foreigners in accordance with Vietnamese law" - Ms. Pham Thu Hang said.
