63 Vietnamese citizens are handed over by Cambodian authorities. — VNA/VNS Photo Nhật Bình

ĐỒNG NAI — Border authorities at the Hoa Lư International Border Gate in the southern province of Đồng Nai on Wednesday received 63 Vietnamese citizens handed over by Cambodian authorities, many of whom had escaped from online fraud operations.

Preliminary screening confirmed that 42 of the returnees had escaped from online scam compounds in Oddar Meanchey Province, Cambodia.

The group included 59 men and four women from 24 provinces and cities across the country, ranging in age from 16 to 44. The largest number of returnees were from HCM City with 14 people, followed by Lâm Đồng, Vĩnh Long, and Hải Phòng with five each, and Đồng Nai with two.

After handover procedures were completed, the returnees received medical checks, basic healthcare, food and drinking water, before authorities carried out further screening and took initial statements.

Several returnees reported that they had been lured or trafficked to Cambodia and forced to work at online scam centres.

They reported that, upon arrival, their mobile phones and identity documents were confiscated. They were forced to work without pay, and to live in harsh conditions with no contact with their families. Those who failed to meet demands were threatened or assaulted, and some were transferred between locations as if they were goods.

The Consulate General of Việt Nam in Battambang, Cambodia has requested foreign affairs departments in the 24 provinces and cities concerned to brief provincial and municipal People’s Committees on the case and notify relevant authorities, including local police, to coordinate with Đồng Nai Provincial Police and the Hoa Lư International Border Gate in receiving their citizens.

This marked the third repatriation conducted by the border guard station at Hoa Lư International Border Gate from Cambodia, bringing the total number of Vietnamese citizens received to 213.

Authorities of the two countries sign a handover record for 63 Vietnamese citizens.

Previously, on November 4, authorities at the same border gate in Lộc Thạnh Commune, Đồng Nai Province, received 65 Vietnamese citizens returned by Cambodian agencies.

Border guards at Hoa Lư said they have stepped up patrols and tightened controls at the crossing in an effort to prevent Vietnamese citizens from being lured abroad to take part in online scam activities, while working with investigative bodies and local authorities to improve early detection and deter illegal border crossings. — VNS