Nine of the more than 30 nationals who sought shelter at the Cambodian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur after the Malaysian government initiated a crackdown on undocumented migrant workers on July 1 have been repatriated, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement on Monday.
“Having been so worried about a crackdown by Malaysia’s immigration officers against foreign workers who live and work illegally, the nine Cambodian workers came to the embassy to ask to be repatriated,” it said.
The ministry said the nine had been trafficked to Malaysia via Thailand last year and returned home on Friday and Saturday.
Last week, the ministry said it lacked the funds to help more than 30 Cambodians seeking shelter and they needed the support of NGOs.
It also said that 79 Cambodians had been arrested since the beginning of the month.
Monday’s statement did not say who had paid for the return of the nine Cambodians or how many nationals were still at the embassy or being detained by Malaysian authorities.
Embassy officials in Malaysia and the Foreign Affairs Ministry’s spokesman in Cambodia on Monday could not be reached for comment.
