47 Punjabis Stranded in Cambodia

CHANDIGARH: A three-member delegation of AAP on Friday submitted a memorandum to the senior officials in the Union ministry of external affairs (MEA), seeking safety and assistance to bring back 47 Punjabi youths stranded in Cambodia for the past over two months.
The delegation comprised Kotkapura MLA Kultar Singh Sandhwan, Garhshankar MLA Jai Krishan Singh Rori and Mehal Kalan MLA Kulwant Singh Pandori.
Talking to TOI from Delhi, Rori said seven such youths who have been cheated by the immigration agents and are stuck up at a hotel in Cambodia are in touch with the AAP’s Punjab unit.
While Ranjit Singh, Amarjit Singh and Gurpreet Singh are from Amritsar, Sajanpreet Singh belongs to Ransike Talla village in Gurdaspur and Manjinderpal Singh is from Sagranwali village in Jalandhar.
“They were sent to Cambodia by the immigration agents on a tourist visa. These seven youth have been confined to a small hotel room and are being forced to work for the hotelier without proper food and perks,” said Rori.
The Garhshankar MLA said earlier the hotelier had even confiscated their passports, but after he came to know that the youths were in contact with the Indian authorities, he returned their passports.
The two-month tourist visa of these youth has already expired, he added.
Rori said these youths were sent to Cambodia by the unscrupulous immigration agents after pocketing lakhs of rupees from them with the promise that they would be issued work permit within two months after reaching Cambodia before their tourist visa expires. There are several such cases of Punjabis stuck in Cambodia and their number could be more than 47, the delegation said.
The delegation has urged the Union external affairs ministry to provide legal aid through the Indian embassy in Cambodia to the stranded youth and to ensure their safe and hassle-free return. Times of India