Malaysia PM Ismail Sabri Yaakob vows action to tackle overseas job scams as more victims emerge

NGO calls on Malaysian PM to get Asean counterparts, including Laos and Cambodia, to close down scam syndicates operating in their territory

Cambodia has been ‘cleaning up’ Sihanoukville scam compounds, but syndicates could just move elsewhere, politician warns

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Scam centres in places such as Cambodia and Myanmar have reeled in many young people with promises of legitimate work, only for them to become debt slaves unable to leave without paying a ransom. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 6:30pm, 20 Sep 2022Updated: 10:30pm, 20 Sep 2022

Pressure is mounting on Malaysia’s government to take the fight against human trafficking to the highest levels of Asean, following a viral Post video of the cremation of one of its nationals who died after falling prey to a job scam network.

In a statement on Tuesday, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the government viewed the issue seriously and was making efforts through all available channels to ensure the safe return of victims.

“At the same time, I advise our Malaysian Family to always be wary of offers to work overseas,” he said, adding that they should check the veracity of overseas job offers with the foreign ministry. The prime minister said the matter would be discussed during a cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

Scam centres in Cambodia’s Sihanoukville and special zones around casinos in Myanmar and Laos are conning tens of millions of dollars each week from people across Asia with fake investment schemes and the promise of online romance.

They are run mainly by Chinese gangsters and operated by young workers from across Asia – Hongkongers, Malaysians, Chinese and Thais among them – many reeled in by the promise of legitimate work only to become debt slaves unable to leave without paying a ransom.

“How long do we want to wait? We now have one official death on record, but we don’t know how many unofficial deaths,” said Hishamuddin Hashim, secretary general of the Malaysian International Humanitarian Organisation. “Do we want to wait until we confirm 100 deaths or 1,000 deaths?”

Malaysian Goi Zhen Feng’s parents at a Buddhist cremation ceremony for their 23-year-old son in Thailand last week. Photo: Aidan Jones

Ipoh trainee teacher Goi Zhen Feng, 23, was cremated last week after an ordeal which began when he travelled to Thailand in January to meet an online girlfriend, only to be forced to work for scam networks in Myanmar.

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