-STRANDED LIBERIANS IN CAMBODIA:
Desperately in search of job opportunities abroad, they were easily allegedly lured by a Chinese company that recruited and promised them better job opportunities in Vietnam, but little did they know that their final destination was Cambodia, across the border.
The Liberians alleged that their cell phones, passports and luggage were confiscated immediately upon arrival in Vietnam before they were crossed into Cambodia.
“They seized everything from us, including our passports, phones and luggage before we were transported into Cambodia,” the distressed Liberians lamented.
The stranded Liberians narrated that after spending a year in Cambodia under difficult circumstances, their conditions changed after the Cambodian authorities raided where they were being kept and set them free, but are finding it difficult to survive.
“We have no money, no phones, no food, and no place to stay. We cannot regularize our immigration status or afford tickets to return to Liberia,” a spokesman said, narrating their ordeal.
The stranded Liberians further explained that in their search for survival, they wrote the International Organization for Migration (IOM), seeking assistance, but were advised to pursue support through Liberian diplomatic channels.
They quoted the IOM authorities as saying citizens from other countries rescued in similar operations have already received assistance from their governments and returned home.
“Nationals from other countries have received help from their respective embassies and have returned home, but unfortunately, we remain stranded and vulnerable,” the Liberians in Cambodia said in a statement.
“Some of us sleep in unsafe locations, while struggling to find food, shelter, and medical care. Food is becoming scarce, and many of us are going hungry every day,” the statement also noted.
The Liberians said their health is deteriorating because they live in poor conditions and are in a state of uncertainty.
Among them are women and other vulnerable individuals that urgently need assistance, the statement further disclosed.
According to the statement, the situation is especially critical for more than 15 Liberians, currently being held by Cambodian immigration authorities for lacking proper documentation.
“Many of them are suffering from hunger, inadequate medical care, and emotional distress. Some are ill and unable to access the medication they need,” one appeal stated.
“The detainees can only be released and repatriated if funds are available to purchase airline tickets back to Liberia,” the reports also said.
The statement is asking the Liberian authorities, humanitarian organizations, religious institutions, and well-meaning individuals to help facilitate their return to their native Liberia.
“We are citizens of Liberia, and we are asking our government not to forget us. Please help us return home and reunite with our families,” the group’s statement distressfully said.
The statement quoted the stranded Liberians as saying that they are confident and optimistic that the Liberian Government under President Joseph N. Boakai will hear their cries and make an intervention to get them back home.
