KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 17 — Malaysia, as this year’s Asean chair, will continue to highlight the issue of job scam syndicates operating across Southeast Asia to combat the problem, said Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Mohamad Alamin.
The matter was recently discussed at the Asean Foreign Ministers’ Retreat in Langkawi.
He said cooperation among Asean countries to tackle the issue will also be strengthened through the Asean police organisation (Aseanapol).
“This issue will remain a key focus throughout Malaysia’s Asean chairmanship. It will be discussed, and we will seek the best possible solutions to effectively combat job scams and fraud syndicates in the region.
“We know this issue has been raised previously in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia, and later in Vientiane, Laos. We will continue to bring it forward this year,” Mohamad said during a question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.
He was responding to Tampin MP Datuk Mohd Isam Mohd Isa's supplementary question on whether Malaysia, as the Asean Chair, would address the issue of job scam syndicates.
Mohamad said that among the examples of Asean countries cooperating to combat job scam syndicates was Myanmar’s authorities handing over 320 foreign nationals, including Malaysians, who were involved in such syndicates in that country.
"All these victims have been placed in Thailand through the National Referral Mechanism to verify their identities, assess their level of involvement and determine if any are our own citizens.
"Once the process is complete, all victims will be repatriated to their respective countries," he said.
— Bernama
