Bankrupt Cambodian casino ran human trafficking syndicate

SHAH ALAM - Malaysian International Humanitarian Organisation (MHO) secretary-general Datuk Hishamuddin Hashim claimed that a casino in Cambodia that went bankrupt during the Covid-19 pandemic was behind a human trafficking syndicate operating across Southeast Asia.

He said the syndicate's activities had inititally centered in Cambodia and Laos before it moved to Myanmar after it was suppressed by the authorities.

He explained the political turmoil in the country had made the activities more comfortable and difficult to be disrupted because they were said to have cooperated with the local residents.

"The government in Myanmar right now is a military junta, so its administrative structure is unlike Malaysia, where each area has its own army and police controlled by the local council.

"The Malaysian embassy tried to use military service from Yangon, but they could still not enter due to different military control," he said in the causual talk programme called What's Up Netizen: 'Neraka menunggu di Myanmar' or 'Hell is waiting in Myanmar' hosted by Muhammad Amirul Amin Abdul Rahim on Tuesday.

A Sinar Harian reporter who was involved in the rescue mission of trafficking victims in Myanmar Mukhriz Mat Husin was also invited to the programme.

Hishamuddin revealed that victims with high expertise in terms of communication were almost impossible to be released from the syndicate compared to those with less experience.

He said, it is because they are able to bring more profit to the productivity of the syndicate.

"The ones who are released these days are those who are less skilled, if they are very clever, they will not release them even if their parents will offer RM150,000," he said.