All but five of 38 Chinese nationals who had been demonstrating in front of the Chinese Embassy have made arrangements to return home to Fujian province on Saturday, the workers said Thursday.
The 33 women had been recruited for work in Cambodia’s garment sector, each of them paying around $2,000 in fees. But when they arrived, workers said earlier this week, their passports were confiscated and they were forced to work long hours.
Arrangements and refunds have been made by the recruitment company, the Huo Minh Chinese Association, workers said Thursday.
Huo Minh is a large organizer of Chinese citizens seeking work abroad, and the company has promised to refund any money the workers—all of them female—lost as a result of their experience. Huo Minh will pay for visas and airline tickets as well, the workers said.
Five women who came to Cambodia without Huo Minh have not yet made any arrangements, workers said. They will have to find their own way, hopefully with the help of the Chinese Embassy, the workers said.
The 33 Huo Minh recruits were satisfied with the solution to the problem. The women had been working at a Meanchey district factory since December. They had been promised room and board in their contracts, as well as sizable salaries, between $250 to $450 per month.
Cambodia’s minimum wage is $45 per month, although Chinese workers are considered more skilled and efficient by many factory owners. They tend to be paid more than Cambodian workers.
However, the workers said they had not received any money, only food, and could not flee because their passports were confiscated by the company at the outset.
The women fled the factory earlier this week, making their way to the Chinese Embassy on Mao Tse-tung Boulevard. The workers said they were thankful to the embassy for helping them return home.
