Bring back 47 Punjabis stranded in Cambodia, AAP tells Centre
TNN | Updated: Jun 22, 2019, 7:29 IST
AAP has highlighted the case of seven Punjabi youth who are being forced to work for a hotelier without pay

CHANDIGARH: A three-member delegation of AAP on Friday submitted a memorandum to the senior officials in the Union ministry of external affairs (MEA), seeking safety and assistance to bring back 47 Punjabi youths stranded in Cambodia for the past over two months.

“They were sent to Cambodia by the immigration agents on a tourist visa. These seven youth have been confined to a small hotel room and are being forced to work for the hotelier without proper food and perks,” said Rori.
The Garhshankar MLA said earlier the hotelier had even confiscated their passports, but after he came to know that the youths were in contact with the Indian authorities, he returned their passports.
The two-month tourist visa of these youth has already expired, he added.

Rori said these youths were sent to Cambodia by the unscrupulous immigration agents after pocketing lakhs of rupees from them with the promise that they would be issued work permit within two months after reaching Cambodia before their tourist visa expires. There are several such cases of Punjabis stuck in Cambodia and their number could be more than 47, the delegation said.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cit ... 898279.cms

" Rori said these youths were sent to Cambodia by the unscrupulous immigration agents after pocketing lakhs of rupees "

A lakh (/læk, lɑːk/; abbreviated L; sometimes written Lac or Lacs; Devanāgarī: लाख) is a unit in the Indian numbering system equal to one hundred thousand (100,000; scientific notation: 105). ... For example, in India 150,000 rupees becomes 1.5 lakh rupees, written as ₹1,50,000 or INR 1,50,000.

At the current rate, a lakh of rupees is worth $1427 USD. Kind of sad to see them scammed like that but if they hadn t been scamming in the first place they wouldn t lack a lakh of rupees

this is sad.

I've heard of stories like this back in Singapore from the indian and filipino community for more than a decade now from very reliable sources from both sides... the agents and the vics.

Here's how it goes...

Companies from a rich asian country, (sg, hk, my, etc) will hire a local in another country.

That local's persons job will be to go to the most rural parts of the country and convince parents and sometimes entire
villages to send their kids to work in places like singapore, hong-kong, malaysia, dubai. They will promise them superb salaries...
convince them --- "this is the way your family is going to end this cycle of poverty". Almost like like a travelling preacher.

And then comes the catch...

"but for me to prepare all the paperwork and visa documents, and flight tickets and accomodation... it's going to cost you $xx,xxx."

"I know you can't pay... and I really want to help you... tell ya what... let me pay for your son/daughter first. you can pay me back slowly once your child is making $xx,xxx dollars a month... it won't take them long to pay me back... hahaha.... just 3 months of working and they can settle it. "

".. here... i know you can't read or write ... but put your thumb print on these official looking papers"

And this is where the deal with the devil is inked. Bogus contracts usually....

But as soon the child is sent to the home country to work, they will exert their influence.

Like if you wanted to report to the police, or called the agent to complain about the $300 pay + passport confiscation + 20 people room you're staying in....

They will send henchmen to your village to harass your family.


It's a vicious cycle...

Victims have too much to loose...so they keep quite.

The agents collect a lot of money per head... so the local village law-enforcement is usually silent.

Seems like a losing battle to these folks.

What I cannot understand is these people are exploited by mostly well of people
What fellow humans will do to other humans for a few bucks more is shameful