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More than 5,000 Riau islanders trafficked to Cambodia, BP3MI reveals
The Riau Islands BP3MI revealed that around 5,300 people seeking better-paying jobs had been recruited as migrant workers under false pretenses and trafficked to Cambodia, where they were forced to work for scamming or online gambling operations.
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Two women whose husbands are being forced to work as scammers in Myanmar sit on a concrete bench on Oct. 16, 2024, during an interview with AFP in Jakarta. (AFP/Yasuyoshi Chiba)
Fadli
The Jakarta Post/Batam
Around 5,300 Riau islanders have been trafficked to Cambodia and forced into work as “agents” of online scamming networks or to run gambling websites, according to the Service Center of the Agency for the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BP3MI).
BP3MI Riau Islands head Sr. Comr. Imam Riyadi said traffickers targeted potential victims primarily through social media or illegal recruitment agencies.
“The victims are promised high salaries and attractive benefits abroad, but are told they cannot work legally in the destination countries. Most victims enter these countries on tourist visas,” Imam told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
In addition to posting advertisements online, scamming syndicates also collaborated with residents in the province to recruit victims, he said.
The typical trafficking route involves a flight to Singapore, located just 30 kilometers from the Riau Islands, and then to Thailand before a final overland leg to Cambodia or Vietnam.
