Teenage escapee from Cambodian casino found dead

Dinh Van Noi, director of the police department of southern Vietnam’s An Giang Province, said on Saturday authorities were performing an autopsy and would hand over the body to the victim’s family in Gia Lai Province in the Central Highlands for funeral purposes.

Police said an investigation was ongoing to bust potential human trafficking rings involved in the case. Escapees from the casino said there were over 2,000 Vietnamese brought to Cambodia as illegal workers in several casinos.

An Giang police cooperated with counterparts of Cambodia’s Kandal Province on Friday to search for all illegal workers being held at local casinos so they could return to Vietnam. Cambodian police said they found 11 people being held at casinos in Chrey Thum Commune.

Nguyen Thanh Binh, chairman of An Giang People’s Committee, said authorities have tested the escapees for Covid-19 and narcotics, and all tests returned negative. Once the investigation is complete, the escapees would return to their families, he added.

On Thursday, 42 Vietnamese working in a casino in Cambodia’s Kandal Province escaped and swam across a river to return to Vietnam due to their imprisonment and torture. A total 40 succeeded, but one was swept away by the water and another was recaptured by the casino guards.

Spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang on Friday said Vietnam has requested Cambodia to assist in the investigation and help find missing people regarding the case.