Cambodia’s frustration with Thai treatment of Khmer Muslims soothed

By MCOT

BANGKOK, Aug 24 – A senior Thai military officer on Thursday brushed aside Cambodia’s dissatisfaction over the thorough inspection of Cambodian Muslims entering Thailand, insisting that the measure is necessary as far as national security is concerned.

Maj-Gen Dittaporn Sasa-smit, spokesman of the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC), said the inspection enables the authorities to know the background of the Muslim arrivals in case of untoward incidents.

“We need to immediately supply them (the Cambodian authorities) with necessary information if asked for,” he said.

Gen Dittaporn said Cambodian Muslims have been entering Thailand at border checkpoints in Sa Kaew province but there has been no report of their involvement in terrorism.

More abuses await Cambodian workers sent to Qatar?

Cambodia approves law on sending workers to Qatar

Tuesday 21/8/2012
Gulf Times (Doha, Qatar)

“Cambodian law is good but often falls short in implementation”

Cambodian workers are expected to arrive in Qatar soon as the southeast Asian country’s national assembly has approved a draft law to send workers to the Gulf state.

According to The Phnom Penh Post, the house approved the draft law recently after the two countries signed an agreement to recruit Cambodian workers in May.

But the Post said a rights organisation and opposition party leaders have raised some doubts about the proposed plan to send workers to Qatar, demanding overseas Cambodians adequate protection and preparation.

Under the draft law, the ministry of labour will train workers and regulate the process of sending them overseas, the Post quoted Labour Minister Vong Sauth as saying.

Singapore cops arrest Cambodian women working in nightspots

38 foreigners arrested in joint police-NEA operation

18 August 2012
Channel News Asia (Singapore)

SINGAPORE: The police have arrested 38 female foreigners for employment and immigration offences in a six-hour joint operation against errant entertainment outlets.

The suspects, aged between 17 and 34 years, are from China, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand.

Police said on Saturday that the operation started at about 10pm on Friday and involved 70 officers from the police and the National Environment Agency.

Challenges for Cambodian migrant workers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fjLUf6Cz08

Japanese SLAVE DRIVERS?

Cambodian migrants who were forced to work at a factory in Japan for a fraction of the pay they were promised speak to Cambodian embassy staff at their residence in Ibaraki prefecture. Photograph: supplied

Pay, hours prompt Japan exit

Monday, 25 June 2012
Sen David
The Phnom Penh Post

Eight Cambodians recruited for agricultural work in Japan have been repatriated after they were forced to work at a food factory for a fraction of the pay they were promised, the returnees said yesterday.

Five men and three women from Kandal and Pursat provinces returned home on Friday night with assistance from the Cambodian embassy in Japan.

They allege they signed up for agricultural work through the Cambodian branch of Japanese organisation Inaho Kyodoh Kumiai, but were made to work at Family Foods, in Ibaraki prefecture, when they arrived.

A thumbprinted statement by the workers obtained by the Post said the factory had forced them to work more than 13 hours a day at half the salary they had been promised, some for more than a year.

Migrant abuse trending up

Bun Ly (centre), a 36-year-old trafficking victim who was forced to work on a Thai fishing vessel under slave-like conditions, with other trafficking victims at an Adhoc office yesterday. Photograph: Heng Chivoan/Phnom Penh Post

Friday, 15 June 2012
Sen David
The Phnom Penh Post

Human rights group Adhoc released a report on the state of Cambodian migrant workers yesterday, saying that tales of abuse from migrant workers and their families have increased five-fold compared to the same period last year.

Seventy per cent of this year’s 141 complaints concerned domestic workers abroad, Adhoc says, and the government’s moratorium on sending maids to Malaysia may be partially to blame for the spike in incidents.

According to Adhoc president Thun Saray, when recruitment companies closed after the government ban, their former clients were essentially set adrift.

“We noticed [incidents] were increasing, because rights violations against male and female migrant workers in Malaysia have deteriorated even more since the government banned companies from sending workers last year,” he said. "The company is no longer responsible for the workers, so the loss of contact is increasing almost every day.”

Returning maids, fishermen share familiar tales of abuse

A domestic migrant worker returns to Cambodia on Friday from Malaysia. A total of four maids and eight fishermen were repatriated after being forced to work in slave-like conditions. Photograph: Heng Chivoan/Phnom Penh Post

Monday, 11 June 2012
Sen David
The Phnom Penh Post

Eight Cambodian fishermen and four Cambodian maids were repatriated from Malaysia on Friday after finding themselves forced to work in slavery-like conditions, despite being promised high-paying jobs there by brokers and recruitment firms.

Koy Kuong, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, said in a press release on Friday the Cambodian government had co-operated with Malaysian authorities and the International Organization for Migration to return the trafficked victims to Cambodia.

Sin Sokhoun, 42, a fisherman from Kampong Speu province, said he paid 400,000 riels (US$100) to the brokers.

Once a farmer, he was lured abroad by the promise of high salaries, but after his ordeal, he said, he had told his son not to make the same mistake.

“I felt embarrassed when I came back to my homeland, because I was cheated into working,” he said. “We worked every day until night but we did not get a salary.”

Cambodians workers on their way to South Korea - Video by Theary Seng

An average of about 100 workers are leaving per trip, 3-4 times per week.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHWgnJ8BhhM

សុខ​ចិត្ត​ធ្វើ​ចំណាក​ស្រុក​ទៅ​ស្រុក​គេ​ទាំង​ខុស​ច្បាប់​គ្រាន់​បើ​ជាង​រស់​នៅ​ក្នុង​សង្គម​អយុត្តិ​ធម៌?

សពប៉េ​អឹមដែល​ត្រូវ​គេ​ចោទ​ថា បាន​បាញ់​សម្លាប់​​ឈុត វុទ្ធី​។ រូបថត សហ​ការី

Monday, 07 May 2012
វិភាគសង្គម ដោយ តុងសុប្រាជ្ញ
The Phnom Penh Post

មាន​សេដ្ឋីៗ​មួយ​ចំនួន​តូច ​ដែល​រាស្រ្ត​តែង​តែ​យំ​តវ៉ា​យក​ដី​ពួក​គាត់​មក​វិញ​រាល់​ថ្ងៃ ​ដូច​ជា​យាយភូ​ យាយ​ផាន​ ឧកញ្ញ៉ា​លីយ៉ុង​ផាត់​ ជា​ដើម​ បែរ​ទៅ​ជា​មាន​ដី​ដល់​ទៅ​​រាប់​លាន​​ហិក​តា​ទៅ​វិញ​?

ជា​លក្ខណៈ​ធម្ម​ជាតិ​របស់​មនុស្ស បើ​កាល​ណា​រស់​នៅ​គ្មាន​អ្វី​ហូប​ ឬ​ក៏​ហូប​មិន​គ្រប់​គ្រាន់​ហើយ គឺ​ខិត​ខំ​ព្យាយាម​យ៉ាង​ត្រដាប​ត្រដួស ​ទៅ​រក​ទីទួល មាន​សុវត្ថិ​ភាព​ ដែល​មាន​អាហារ​ហូប​ដើម្បី​ឲ្យ​បាន​រស់។​ ព្រោះ​គាត់​ ពុំ​ទាន់​បាន​ឆ្លង​ផុត​ពី​តម្រូវ​ការ​ជា​មូល​ដ្ឋាន ​ដូច​ទ្រឹស្តី​របស់​លោក​«ម៉ាស្លូ» ដែល​មនុស្ស​ត្រូវ​មាន​អាហារ​ សម្លៀក​បំពាក់ ​និង​ជម្រក​សមរម្យ​។​ ការ​ដែល​គ្មាន​​អ្វី​ហូប​ ​គឺ​ជា​កត្តា​ចម្បង​ធ្វើ​ឲ្យ​ពួក​គាត់​ ក្លាយ​ទៅ​ជា​មុខ​សញ្ញា​ជា​ជន​ងាយ​រង​គ្រោះ ​និង​ងាយ​ស្រួល​ក្នុង​ការ​អូស​ទាញ​កម្លាំង​ពល​កម្ម​ទៅ​ធ្វើ​ការ​នៅ​ក្រៅ ស្រុក​ដោយ​ប្រើ​ឃ្លា​មួយ​យ៉ាង​សាមញ្ញ​ថា៖ «​គេ​បបួល​កុំ​ឲ្យ​ខាន​ បើ​គេ​បាន​កុំ​ស្តាយ​ក្រោយ​!​»។

ប្រសិន​បើ​យើង​មាន​ពេល​ សាក​ល្បង​ទៅ​លេង​កម្សាន្ត​នៅ​ទីក្រុង​បាង​កក​ជា​ពិសេស​នៅ​តំបន់​សេដ្ឋកិច្ច​ សង្គម​វិត​ (Sukumvit​ area)​ យើង​នឹង​ឃើញ​ពលករ​ខ្មែរ​មួយ​ចំនួន​ ដែល​ជា​អ្នក​លក់​តាម​ហាង​ អ្នក​រត់​តុ ​អ្នក​ធ្វើ​ម្ហូប​នៅ​តាម​ភោជនីយ​ដ្ឋាន​ អ្នក​ធ្វើការ​នៅ​តាម​បារ​ អាច​និយាយ​ភាសា​ថៃ​បា​ន​យ៉ាង​ល្អ​ ហើយ​នៅ​តាម​ផ្លូវ​ដើរ​កាត់​ទទឹង​មហា​វិថី​សង្គម​វិត​នោះ ​យើង​នឹង​ជួប​អ្នក​សុំ​ទាន​ដែល​ភាគ​ច្រើន​ជាជន​ជាតិ​ខ្មែរ​។​ ពួក​គាត់​ក៏​បាន​ប្រាប់​យើង​ទាំង​ទឹក​ភ្នែក​ទឹក​សម្បោរ​ថា គាត់មក​ពី​ស្រុក​ភូមិ​ណា​ មក​តាម​រយៈ​អ្នក​ណា ​និង​ពីមូល​ហេតុ​ដែល​បានជំរុញឲ្យទៅ​ទី​នោះ​ផងដែរ។​

ពលករ​ខ្មែរ​ខ្លះ​ទៀត​ ទៅ​ធ្វើ​ការ​លំបាកៗ​ហួស​កម្លាំង​ជាង​នេះ​ទៅ​ទៀត​ដូច​កញ្ជះ​គេ​ បុរសៗ​គ្នា ខ្លះ​នេសាទ​ធ្លាយ​ទៅ​ដល់​ប្រទេស​ឥណ្ឌូ​នេស៊ី​ ឯ​ស្រ្តី​វិញ ខ្លះ​ក្លាយ​ទៅ​ជា​ទាសករ​ផ្លូវ​ភេទ​ក៏​មាន​ ខ្លះ​ក៏​ធ្លាក់​ខ្លួន​ញៀន​ថ្នាំ ​ខ្លះ​ឆ្លង​ជំងឺ​អេដស៍​ និង​ខ្លះ​ត្រូវ​បាន​គេ​ជួញ​ដូរ​ផ្លូវ​ភេទ​។​ ថ្មីៗនេះ​មាន​ពលករ​ខ្មែរ​ស្លាប់​ជា​ហូរ​ហែ​ ខ្លះ​ស្លាប់​ដោយ​សារ​គេ​ធ្វើ​បាប​ឲ្យ​ធ្វើ​ការ​ហួស​កម្លាំង​ ដោយ​សារ​គ្រោះ​ថ្នាក់​ចរាចរណ៍​ក៏​មាន​ ខ្លះ​ស្លាប់​ដោយ​សារ​ទៅ​ចូល​កាប់​ឈើ​ប្រណីត​ខុស​ច្បាប់​ក៏​មាន​។​ យោង​តាម​ក្រសួង​មហា​ផ្ទៃ​ បាន​ឲ្យ​ដឹង​ថា​ ពលករ​ចំណាក​ស្រុក​ ១២០០០​ នាក់​ ត្រូវ​បាន​បញ្ជូន​ពី​ក្រៅ​ប្រទេស​មក​កម្ពុជា​វិញ​ ក្នុង​ឆ្នាំ​ ២០១១។

PM urges migrants to return home

Demonstrators walk past the Royal Palace during a Labour Day march held yesterday in Phnom Penh. Photo by Hong Menea

Workers take part in a Labour Day march yesterday in Phnom Penh. Photo by Hong Menea

Labour Day demonstrators shout during a march yesterday. Photo by Hong Menea

Wednesday, 02 May 2012
Vong Sokheng and Kim Yuthana
The Phnom Penh Post

As about 5,000 workers marched through the streets of Phnom Penh yesterday to lobby for better pay and fairer conditions, Prime Minister Hun Sen used International Labour Day to talk up the opportunities arising from a labour shortage fast approaching 30,000 jobs.

Speaking at an event inside Sihanoukville Port Special Economic Zone, Hun Sen urged Cambodians to resist the lure of illegal work in Thailand, saying shortages in industries such as agriculture and construction meant people could find the jobs they wanted at home.

“I would like to appeal to all Cambodian people who are waiting to cross illegally into Thailand to return home,” he said.

“Crossing the border illegally to work in Thailand is not the right way, especially because inside our own country we have a labour shortage,” Hun Sen said, referring to figures given to him by Minister of Social Affairs Ith Samheng.

Lost Opportunities as Cambodian Labor Goes Abroad: Advocate

Khmer fishermen working as slaves returning home from Malaysia (Photo: Licadho)

Friday, 30 March 2012
Men Kimseng, VOA Khmer | Washington

“We see a lot of job opportunity in Cambodia these days. The problem is, how many people know about the jobs?”

Even with an improved domestic job market, many Cambodian workers are seeking jobs overseas, despite the risks.

This is mainly due to the government’s failure to get the word out, Moeun Tola, a labor advocate at the Community Legal Education Center, told “Hello VOA” Thursday.

“We see a lot of job opportunity in Cambodia these days,” he said. “The problem is, how many people know about the jobs?”

Cambodia has just five job centers nationwide, he said, but people still don’t know much about them.

The main job creators in Cambodia are in agriculture, industry and tourism, but policymakers have looked at the export of labor as a way to ease employment pressure.

If Hun Xen's regime creates enough jobs, nobody would want to to to Thailand! Hear that Hun Xen?

PM to workers: ‘don’t go’

Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Vong Sokheng
The Phnom Penh Post

Lamenting the steady stream of Cambodian men who are repatriated after falling victim to fishing boat slavery, Prime Minister Hun Sen said yesterday a lack of communication, not employment, was driving citizens to risky jobs abroad (sic!).

At a graduation ceremony, the premier told students the demand for agricultural workers in Cambodia was high but said advertising these positions remained a problem.

“In Ratanakkiri [province] the labour force wage is high – up to US$5 per day,” he said.

“Cambodia is now in the situation where it lacks labour (sic!), while a number of Cambodian people migrate for work outside the country, even if it is illegal.”

Six Cambodians held in Ambon [Indonesia]

Tue, 12/20/2011
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Ambon immigration authorities have detained six Cambodians in the immigration detention house in Paso village, Baguala district in Ambon city, as they do not have any legal immigration documents.

Head of the Ambon Immigration Office Enang Supriyadi said on Tuesday that the Cambodians used to work in a fishery company in Tual, South East Maluku. After their contract ended, they were stranded in Ambon, antaranews.com reported.

Some of them called their families at home, who later contacted the Cambodian Embassy in Jakarta. Upon the suggestion of the embassy, which worked in cooperation with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Cambodians surrendered themselves to the immigration office.

Border violence: Suspected loggers shot in Thailand

Thursday, 03 November 2011
Tep Nimol
The Phnom Penh Post

Border violence

Thai soldiers once again opened fire on suspected Cambodian migrant workers as they attempted to illegally cross the border from Oddar Meanchey province into Thailand’s Surin province on Tuesday.

Khul Thin, deputy police chief of Oddar Meanchey province’s Banteay Ampil district, said five Cambodian labourers were shot at just inside of Thai territory. Only one of the men was actually struck with a bullet, while the four others left him behind as they fled back across the border.

“We are unsure whether the injured worker has returned [to Cambodia] or was captured or got lost somewhere in the jungle,” the deputy police chief said. “Cambodian soldiers are communicating with the Thai side to find the real cause of the incident.”

‘Kafka-esque’ ASEAN move

Wednesday, 19 October 2011
David Boyle and Mom Kunthear
The Phnom Penh Post

The Association of South-East Asian Nations has put Cambodia in charge of combating regional migrant labour problems despite recurring abuse scandals that have led Prime Minister Hun Sen to ban sending domestic workers to Malaysia.

Interior ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak said yesterday that Cambodia had been assigned the roles of leading the fight against migrant worker problems and human trafficking in the region at the recent ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting for Transnational Crime in Bali on October 13.

“We will try our best to crack down on [migrant labour-related] crimes in the countries to reduce them, but it does not mean there will be no crime in those countries,” he said.

But the Cambodian government does not appear to be unified on the Malaysia ban with the Ministry of Labour on Monday telling recruitment firms they could continue to send trainees to Malaysia if they have existing contracts and travel documents, contradicting an outright ban worded in Prime Minister Hun Sen’s circular.

Cambodia to Stop Sending Domestic Workers to Malaysia

SRP Mu Sochua (Photo: The Phnom Penh Post)

Friday, October 14, 2011
By Mu Sochua

MP Mu Sochua spoke directly to Prime Minister Hun Sen today during a coffee break of the parliament session of the situation of Cambodian domestic workers in Malaysia.

PM Hun Sen acknowledged the problems and the grave impact on the welfare and well being of Cambodian domestic workers in Malaysia. He ordered deputy-prime minister Sok An to inform the minister of Labor to put a stop to the sending of domestic workers to Malaysia.

Sam Rainsy Party MPs are pushing for a review of all mechanisms of monitoring and investigation of employment agencies for the protection of Cambodian migrant workers in all sectors.

Cambodia: New Regulation Short-Changes Domestic Workers

Revised Labor Migration Policy Weak on Recruitment Abuses

Source: Human Rights Watch

(New York, August 30, 2011) – Cambodia’s revised regulation on labor migration, approved by Prime Minister Hun Sen on August 17, 2011, falls far short of minimum protections needed to safeguard migrant domestic workers, Human Rights Watch said today. The regulation omits or only has vague protections for workers and does not adequately address such problems as debt bondage, illegal recruitment of underage workers, and forced confinement by recruitment agencies in Cambodia, Human Rights Watch said.

The “Sub-Decree on the Management of the Sending of Cambodian Workers Abroad through Private Recruitment Agencies” was drafted without consulting civil society organizations or migrant workers.

“The Cambodian government didn’t even bother to talk with domestic or international organizations involved in these issues, let alone the workers themselves,” said Jyotsna Poudyal, children’s rights research fellow at Human Rights Watch. “The result is a regulation that doesn’t offer even minimum protections to Cambodians who face serious abuse when they agree to work abroad.”

Human Rights Watch urged the Cambodian government to revise the regulation or adopt a new policy on recruitment agencies that would address key concerns, such as recruitment fees and debts, freedom of movement in training centers, and child recruitment. Such protections should be created in consultation with domestic and international organizations working on migration and trafficking and include detailed methods for enforcement, Human Rights Watch said.

CAMBODIA-THAILAND: Men trafficked into "slavery" at sea

Nouv Vuthy a freed slave fisherman hugging his father at is arrival in Phnom Penh. More Cambodian men than women are trafficked (Photo: The Phnom Penh Post)

PHNOM PENH, 29 August 2011 (IRIN) - Taing Ky* and his cousin were told they would be gardeners in Thailand, but instead they were forced to work on Thai fishing boats.

Each year, hundreds of Cambodian men, many impoverished farmers, are lured from their homes with the promise of better-paying jobs in Thailand, only to find themselves on Thai fishing boats plying the waters of the South China Sea.

"We were told we would earn good money," Taing Ky, 37, a father-of-five from Cambodia's Kampot Province, about 200km southwest of Phnom Penh, told IRIN. After six months, they managed to escape while the boat was offloading on Benjina island in northern Indonesia. There they were picked up by local authorities.

Thousands of Cambodian men are now believed to be working against their will in exploitative working conditions on long-haul trawlers well beyond the reach of law enforcement agencies, and often alongside Burmese men.

CALD Statement on Migrant Workers

August 25, 2011 | Malacca, Malaysia
Source: Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats

The Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD) recognizes that free flow of people is an aspect of the globalization process which should be encouraged and protected. The movement of people for the purpose of employment, in particular, brings about benefits not only to the migrant workers and their families, but also to the sending and destination countries.

CALD believes that both the sending and destination countries have the responsibility to promote the welfare of migrant workers and to ensure the protection of their rights.

CALD is gravely concerned by the severe maltreatment of many migrant workers from Asia and from other parts of the world. Reports by the police, family members and organizations involved in the protection of migrant workers reveal a situation that deserves immediate attention of all concerned governments.

CALD is alarmed by the abuse and exploitation of vulnerable, young and women workers from Cambodia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Burma and Indonesia who left their countries to work as domestic helpers in other Asian countries and elsewhere.

Youth Representatives Debate Migrant Labor Policies

SRP and CPP youths debated each other on the IRI forum (Photo:Siv Channa, CEN)

Wednesday, 10 August 2011
Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer | Phnom Penh

“The flow of laborers to foreign countries is a sign that shows Cambodia lacks jobs.”

The Cambodian government came under criticism Wednesday for failing to create jobs for an influx of workers entering the market and instead sending too many workers abroad.

Speaking at a forum to discuss the government’s migrant worker policies, In Sam Ol, a youth representative for the opposition Sam Rainsy Party, said authorities had failed to develop an economy that could absorb some 137,000 workers this year alone.

“The flow of laborers to foreign countries is a sign that shows Cambodia lacks jobs,” he said, speaking at a forum for youth political representatives of the Sam Rainsy Party and ruling Cambodian People’s Party. “The countries receiving our laborers look down on our country. For this reason, we must prevent the flow of Cambodian laborers to foreign countries.”