Cabinet agrees to formation of committee to deal with job scam cases

PUTRAJAYA – The cabinet yesterday agreed to establish a special committee to deal with job scam syndicate cases involving Malaysians.

In a statement today, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah – who will chair the committee – said it will be made up of various government agencies.

“I have also instructed the secretary-general of the Foreign Ministry to hold a meeting with the relevant agencies today,” he said.

Saifuddin, who is currently in New York in conjunction with the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, expressed his appreciation to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Special Functions) Datuk Abdul Latiff Ahmad, and the cabinet for reviewing and discussing the issue.

Latiff has been acting as foreign minister in Saifuddin’s absence.

On Monday, Saifuddin chaired a virtual meeting with Malaysian ambassadors and chargé d’affaires in Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam.

“We also agreed to hold regular meetings with the top management of the Royal Malaysia Police and increase media coverage of this issue,” he said.

He added that the government via the Foreign Ministry as well as Malaysian diplomatic missions abroad continue to be committed in strengthening efforts to rescue victims of such scams and bring them home safely.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry in a separate statement last night said 15 more Malaysians who had fallen victims to job scam syndicates were successfully rescued and brought home on Tuesday.

They arrived at klia2 via flight AK535 from Phnom Penh at 11.50pm.

As yesterday, he said, the ministry had so far received reports on 301 such cases in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand.

“Out of that number, a total of 168 victims have been rescued and returned back home,” he said.

In addition, 34 victims are being held at an immigration detention depot in Cambodia, while the remaining 99 are still being traced by the authorities of the countries concerned, said the Foreign Ministry. – Bernama, September 22, 2022