Forty people swam from Cambodia to Vietnam to escape a casino where they worked without receiving wages, officials in both countries said on Friday.
The incident took place on Thursday in the Kandal region (southwest Cambodia), near the capital, Phnom Penh.
Vietnamese police, cited by state media, detained forty employees of “Golden Phoenix Entertainment” for swimming across the border. All are Vietnamese.
According to Colonel Dinh Van Noi, these people worked long hours without receiving adequate pay. They were also “working illegally,” Cambodia’s Interior Minister Sar Kheng said.
“They promised great salaries and didn’t deliver. They crossed the border because they didn’t come to an agreement [com o empregado]. They ran away,” she added.
Cambodian police launched an investigation and detained the casino director, who was questioned, according to the minister.
A 20-year-old employee said the casino’s security tried to stop the escape, attacking the group with sticks and iron bars.
“We spent four months in exhaustion while working at the Cambodian casino, it was hell,” the young woman told the news portal VnExpress, adding that they were required to work 14 hours straight.
“If I didn’t, I would be beaten to death,” she said.
In the first half of 2022, about 250 Vietnamese workers were rescued in Cambodia from employers who were imposing abusive conditions on them, according to Vietnamese officials.
I have over 8 years of experience in the news industry. I have worked for various news websites and have also written for a few news agencies. I mostly cover healthcare news, but I am also interested in other topics such as politics, business, and entertainment. In my free time, I enjoy writing fiction and spending time with my family and friends.
