The arrival of Cambodian police officers should have come as a relief for Abdureqip Rahman. The young Uyghur man had been trapped inside a high-walled, barbed-wire compound for 10 weeks, working alongside others trafficked here and forced, often through beatings, to run online scams.
But Rahman had become increasingly nervous at the prospect of rescue, wary of the Cambodian authorities. He had heard that the officers were there to take him to the capital, Phnom Penh, and then to immigration authorities who would send him home — to China, where the consequences would be “unimaginable,” he said.
Rahman tried to stay calm. He reminded himself of assurances from U.N. officials that he would be protected. He was hoping ultimately to secure asylum in the United States.
