A job fraud syndicate victim that was held captive in Myanmar before being rescued and brought back to Malaysia is now sharing his experience while he was detained there.
Based on a report by Berita Harian, he explained that he was forced to work for more than 15 hours a day, without holidays, and was subjected to military-styled punishments if he did not reach his set targets.
The 19-year-old from Pekan, Pahang, was initially promised a job in Kelantan, with a salary of RM5,000 to RM6,500, but when he reached the state, he was taken on a boat across the Golok River to Thailand. He said that he was then smuggled into Myanmar using hidden routes, adding that he did not have a passport.
“There (in Myanmar), I lived in a room in a flat with 8 to 10 other people with our movements strictly controlled. My job was more or less like an ‘online scammer’,”
“If I can’t make a sale or attract customers, my employer would tell me to do ‘exercise’ by running up to 7 laps around a field, in addition to being punished by carrying barrels of water up and down the stairs of a five-storey building. I have also been slapped hard several times to a point where my ears were ringing, as a result of falling asleep while working,” he said.
On top of that, he would often cry from having to live in fear and hunger as he was only fed once a day.
Thankfully, his fellow Malaysian helped him
He shared his gratefulness when another Malaysian helped him free himself from the syndicate before he was successfully brought back to the country.
His return was also assisted by independent candidate for the Balik Pulai parliamentary seat, Datuk Seri Sri Johnny Ch’ng Ewe, along with help from the Malaysian embassy.
If it wasn’t for them, his family would have had to fork up RM50,000 to secure his release. Considering they were not well-to-do people, his family only managed to collect RM5,000 as a result of contributions from friends and relatives, on top of his own savings.
“We are not rich people, so I asked for help from various parties and after trying for 7 months, I finally got my son back. Datuk Seri Johnny was one of the first to come forward to help and I asked for his assistance on the recommendation of a friend a few months ago,” his 57-year-old mother said.
Meanwhile, Datuk Seri Johnny shared that he will continue to cooperate with various groups to save more Malaysians who are still being held overseas.
“I also want to advise young people not to be easily influenced by offers of good wages to work abroad because there are still many job opportunities in our own country. In fact, one of my goals in Balik Pulau is to provide more job opportunities so that young people don’t have to migrate to find work elsewhere,” he said.
We’re so happy that the young man is now safe and sound at home with his loved ones.
Stay tuned for more updates.
Also read: Job Syndicate Gangsters Are Offering Up To RM650k To Return Escaped Victims, Dead Or Alive
