DFA says working to bring trafficking victims in Myanmar, rest of SEA home
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs assured the public Monday that it is working to repatriate Filipinos who were victims of human trafficking across Southeast Asia.
“This includes the situation in Myanmar, where the DFA is coordinating with local law enforcement officials for the repatriation of a number of Filipinos who were rescued by Myanmar authorities from their worksites in Myawaddy,” the department said in a statement Monday evening.
Myawaddy is a town near the Myanmar’s border with Thailand.
This comes after Kiela Samson’s family members were interviewed over at the ABS-CBN News Channel’s “The Rundown” on Monday, asking authorities to help bring Samson home. The Filipino was said to be touring Thailand as a gift to herself and she has been out of the country since December 7 last year.
However, she ended up detained in Myanmar along with nine other Filipinos. Samson’s family turned down the possible scenario that she was looking for a job while abroad, saying that she ended up in Myawaddy after someone offered them a boat ride.
The department said it is already working on the repatriation of Samson and the Embassy in Yangon, Myanmar is coordinating with her family.
Meanwhile, the DFA also reminded Filipinos looking for jobs abroad to secure opportunities through official channels, following the regulations set by the government and leave the country as a registered overseas Filipino worker instead of travelling as a tourist.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros in November bared that a trafficking scheme tricking Filipinos to take jobs as data encoders, however, they end up as scammers of a cryptocurrency investment program in Myanmar.
READ: Hontiveros bares fake job ads, trafficking of Pinoys to Myanmar for crypto scam
“Recruiters who promise Filipinos jobs abroad, if they pretend to be tourists and evade our controls, are just leading our kababayans to dangerous situations where it may be very difficult to secure their safety and assist them in returning home,” the department said. – Kaycee Valmonte
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