KUALA LUMPUR: Some 700 Malaysians are believed to be stranded in Laos in harrowing conditions after they got duped into job scams.
The syndicates reportedly beat and torture victims to work as scammers and lure more innocent youngsters into their fold.
According to victims who have since fled Laos, some Malaysian girls who were conned with lucrative job offers were eventually forced into prostitution.
Refusal to obey orders have also allegedly resulted in some Malaysians being shot at point blank.
Malaysia International Humanitarian Organisation (MHO) secretary-general Datuk Hishamuddin Hashim also alleged that local authorities in Laos are shielding the culprits from any punitive actions.
So far, he said four victims have successfully fled the country while another six were rescued through the intervention of the Malaysian embassy in Laos.
"The victims were deceived by the employment fraud syndicate with offers of high salaries. But, upon arriving in Laos, they were forced to work as scammers, online gambling and other illegal works.
"Some of the victims were believed to be sold from one agent to another, from one company to another, or worse, traded between different countries.
"The fraud syndicate also demanded ransom money from the victim's family that ranged from RM50,000 to RM100,000 to release the victims.
"Due to the inhumane treatment received, the victims had lodged a police report in Laos. Unfortunately, insufficient and inefficient action from the authorities had resulted in victims being stranded in Laos.
"Based on the victims' accounts, we believe there are at least 700 Malaysians being held captive by job scam syndicates in Laos,"
he told reporters, when met at the entrance of the Laos Embassy here, here, today.
Hishamuddin, along with Malaysia Community Crime Care president Tan Sri Musa Hassan and Semboyan Malaysia, were present to submit a memorandum to the embassy to urge the Laos government to rescue and repatriate the stranded Malaysians.
However, despite waiting for over an hour, no embassy official was present to receive the memorandum.
Hishamuddin said MHO had already sent an email to the embassy on the matter a week ago but to no avail.
The family members of several victims also staged a peaceful protest in front of the embassy with placards urging the Laos government to rescue their stranded siblings and children.
Hishamuddin described the situation as a "diplomatic embarrassment" because unlike the Cambodian government, the governments of Laos and Myanmar have continued to ignore the heinous syndicates thriving on their shores.
Meanwhile, Musa said he is also following the matter closely with the Anti- Human Trafficking Department in Bukit Aman to weed out agents operating in Malaysia who could be colluding with trafficking syndicates abroad.