Five Cambodian migrants who served prison time in Malaysia over forest and wildlife crimes were returned to Cambodia this week, the Foreign Affair Ministry statement said on Friday in a statement.
The five men, ages 20 to 60, were from Kompong Cham, Prey Veng and Kampot provinces, and had served five months in a Malaysian prison, the ministry said.
The men, who had lived in Malaysia since 2014, were arrested in Kluang district’s Jahor city on March 11 for killing a monitor lizard, possession of ivory and logging rosewood, the ministry reported.
While the crimes carried prison sentences of up to five years, and fines in excess of $11,000, the Malaysian court decided to reduce the sentence to five months, after intervention by Cambodian embassy, the ministry said.
Another Cambodian, a maid who sought help because of difficult working conditions, will be returned to the country on Monday. The embassy was able to secure nearly $3,000 in wages for the woman from her employer, the ministry said.
