1,000 Vietnamese rescued from illegal businesses in Cambodia: foreign ministry

Ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang said at a press meet that as of Wednesday, "over 1,000 Vietnamese citizens have been rescued and thousands have been supported with procedures." Around 400 have been rescued in September alone, she added.

Hang said Cambodian authorities have cooperated with Vietnam to rescue its citizens through several crackdowns since the beginning of this month.

On Wednesday, 71 workers in Cambodia were repatriated to Vietnam's southern province of Tay Ninh. Of these, 56 managed to escape from a Cambodian casino just 500m away from the border on September 17, while the rest were rescued by authorities.

Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Minister Sar Kheng had said September 19 said the country has received 189 requests for help to rescue human trafficking victims over the past month. Most of them were in Sihanoukville, he added.