Four Indonesian men and one Pakistani man were charged Tuesday in municipal court as the ringleaders of the human trafficking scheme that involved more than 250 illegal immigrants who were arrested more than a week ago, court officials said.
Nop Sophon, deputy director of judges at the Phnom Penh court, confirmed the five men were charged.
He said, however, said he was unaware of the details of the case. Sok Roeun, the deputy prosecutor working on the case, could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
On July 8, authorities arrested 253 Afghans, Pakistanis, Iranians and Indonesians on a wooden fishing boat about to leave the Sihanoukville port for a third country, most likely Australia.
The group included 11 women and 14 children.
It was the first time Cambodian authorities have detained such a large number of immigrants in a human smuggling scam, Sihanoukville officials said. Some of the immigrants had been living in Cambodia for months.
Authorities and the International Organization for Migration are determining what to do with the group, and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees is expected to get involved in the case.
Australian Ambassador Louise Hand has said the Cambodian authorities should be commended for their quick and decisive action.
Because of Cambodia’s porous borders, it is seen as a popular transit point for human smugglers to take immigrants to third countries.
