Source:Khmer Times
The Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training has expressed alarm over reports that a job recruitment agency is offering Cambodians work opportunities in Israel despite the ongoing Gaza War.
The Ministry stated categorially that there is no labour recruitment agreement with Israel.
Concern has also arisen over the possibility that Cambodians who may have been tricked already could have ended up in Gaza because illegal entry into Israel itself is impossible.
Commenting on the case, Labour Ministry Spokesman Katta Orn said yesterday that “The Ministry is concerned that our people are being deceived by brokers, or any group that takes refuge under the guise of recruiting illegal workers, to move people illegally to other countries, which is an act of human trafficking.”
“If they go illegally, they may face challenges and other legal issues. The advertisement on the recruitment of workers to Israel via the Telegram channel is illegal. Therefore, Cambodians must be very careful,” he said.
Orn said that the Ministry is still in talks with the Israel side to push for a draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on recruitment and deployment for Cambodians to work in Israel.
He warned of legal action against individuals involved in the campaign to recruit workers to Israel.
Heng Sour, Minister of the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training, posted on his Telegram channel on Wednesday, “Earlier, I received information from our citizens about the case of an individual named Mean Sodara who created a Telegram called “ISRAEL WORK 2024” to recruit and send workers to work illegally in Israel.”
“Currently, Cambodia has not signed an agreement to send workers to work in Israel. We are still in the discussion stage. Therefore, going to work in Israel through a broker or forging student documents is illegal and a crime of human trafficking,” he said.
Sour said that the public should be aware and be careful not to be deceived by the person Mean Sodara or the content advertised on the ISRAEL WORK 2024 Telegram.
The Ministry is working with the National Committee for Combatting Human Trafficking to take action against those involved, he said.
The Ministry of Labour will make a public announcement when Cambodia has an official agreement and mechanism for the protection and protection of workers in Israel, he added.
Moeun Tola, Executive Director of the Center for Alliance of Labour and Human Rights (CENTRAL), said yesterday that he supported the Ministry of Labour’s action regarding legal action against the perpetrators and informing the public about the fraudulent activity.
He urged the Ministry to list the names of countries that have signed MoUs with Cambodia as well as legitimate recruitment agencies as a way to provide clear information that can help protect the interests of Cambodian workers who want to work in that country.
“I don’t think any Cambodians are working in Israel or trapped in Gaza, but we are concerned about the deception of the perpetrators to send them to that area of conflict,” he said.
“What we are most concerned about is the illegal provision of documents to Cambodian workers through corrupt officials who coordinate incorrect documents for workers to work illegally abroad,” Tola added.
Government Spokesman Pen Bona said yesterday that the conflict between Israeli troops and Hamas fighters on Israeli territory in the past has ended with the Israeli side securing their territory.
The 131 Cambodian students, who had been affected by the incursion into Israel by Hamas fighters, have been evacuated to safe areas far away from the Gaza Strip and now have enough food, water, electricity and proper clothing. Now all of 454 Cambodian citizens presently residing in Israel are safe, he said.
The Cambodian government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, is working diligently to ensure the safety of Cambodian citizens and students in Israel, he noted.
Apart from students there are also Cambodians undergoing training and on exchange visits in Israel.
Bona said Cambodia’s national institutions have been working closely with the Israeli authorities to find safe places and food for Cambodian students. The Cambodian government also thanks the Israeli government for its close cooperation with the Cambodian authorities.
Hamas fighters, backed by rockets, crossed from Gaza into Israel on October 7, by land, killing hundreds of Israeli civilians. In response to the attacks, Israel declared war on Hamas and has since pounded Gaza with air and ground attacks, killing hundreds of Palestinians and turning buildings into rubble.
The incursion by Hamas endangered the lives of Thai workers in Israel. Around 30,000 Thais, many of them migrants, are working in the agricultural sector. Reports say 21 Thais were killed during the Hamas militants’ attacks. Thai officials have also said 14 Thais were abducted by Hamas, and 13 injured.
This prompted calls for Thais in Israel to be brought back home amid the escalating conflict.
The first groups of Thais who were evacuated from Israel following the onslaught by Hamas in southern Israel landed in Bangkok on October 13.
It is in light of this worrying scenario that there is concern over the same fate happening to any Cambodians if they are smuggled in a bid to get into Israel and end up being abandoned in Gaza which is easier to enter from neighbouring countries like Egypt.