PHNOM PENH, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia has rescued 20 Cambodian people, who were trafficked to work as illegal fishermen on Thai fishing boats in Indonesia, Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong said Thursday.
"With the cooperation from the Indonesian authorities, the Cambodian Embassy to Indonesia has saved 20 Cambodians, who had been cheated by ringleaders to work illegally on Thai fishing boats," he said in a news statement. "The victims has been rescued when the boats docked at an Indonesian port."
The official said the victims were between 19 and 34 years old.
The ministry is closely cooperating with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in order to return those victims to Cambodia, he said, adding that currently, the IOM is providing medical checkup services to those victims before repatriating them to Cambodia.
Trafficked fishermen are frequently forced to work long hours, and are physically and psychologically abused. They are often unpaid and forced to serve on voyages for months or even years.
As they have no documentation, they are often unable to seek protection from authorities in Thailand or other countries.
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