In a report by Bernama, the 47 Malaysians (aged between 18 and 20) who were held at a prison in Banteay Meanchey, Cambodia have just been released earlier this evening (15th February) after a number of negotiations took place between Malaysian and Cambodian government authorities.
Datuk Dr Mustapha Ahmad Marican, head of NGO Antarabangsa, confirmed the release of the 47 Malaysians, adding that the decision was made by the Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen after finding that all those arrested were cheated by a syndicate.
Source: Bernama
He was quoted by the news source as saying,
“According to Cambodia’s Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Oknha Datuk Dr Otshman Hassan, we have observed all matters involving the detained Malaysians and have found that they were in fact cheated by a syndicate.”
Last Thursday (7th February), Wisma Putra confirmed reports of 47 Malaysians being detained in Cambodia since 11th December 2018 for illegal online gaming and gambling activity, which they denied.
Source: The Star
The Malaysian citizens were reportedly promised high-paying jobs by an organisation and kept in a house upon arriving at Cambodia. However, they were arrested two days after they decided to contact the organisation to ask about the jobs they were promised. 44 of these Malaysians are from Sarawak.
Dr Mustapha stated that apart from Wisma Putra, many other leaders and family members from Sarawak travelled to Cambodia a few days ago to negotiate with Cambodian authorities.
Currently, the Wisma Putra has yet to issue an official statement addressing the 47 Malaysians’ release. So, stay tuned for more updates on this developing story.
Also read: 47 M’sians Promised High-Paying Jobs But Now They’ve Been in Cambodia Jail Since Dec 2018
