KATHMANDU: Sixteen Nepali citizens, lured by human traffickers into illegal employment in Cambodia, have been rescued and returned home. They had been working without visas at illicit online scamming centers and casinos, including engaging in online fraud.

The rescue was coordinated by the Nepali Embassy in Bangkok with the cooperation of the Cambodian government and facilitated by the Non-Resident Nepali Association Cambodia. Authorities are also working to return other stranded Nepalis facing difficult circumstances.

The Embassy urged Nepalis working illegally or overstaying visas in Cambodia to contact its representatives or NRNA Cambodia for assistance. Individuals whose passports were retained or lost during relocations are eligible for a free one-way travel permit.

Officials emphasized that foreign employment should follow government labor permit regulations and warned against traveling on visit visas for work in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand. The Embassy requested media and civil society to help spread this advisory.