Deal would send workers to Saudi Arabia
Cambodia is nearing a deal that would open a pipeline of workers to Saudi Arabia, a country where Southeast Asian migrants have in the past been abused and even executed for crimes that include “sorcery”. Following a meeting in Hanoi last week with Saudi Ambassador Salah Ahmed Sarhan, Labor Minister Ith Sam Heng told reporters that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two countries would be drafted and signed “as soon as possible”. … Rights groups yesterday expressed concern over the prospect of sending Cambodian workers to a country that inflicts harsh punishments and even the death penalty on many of its foreign labourers. … In October, 2011, Prime Minister Hun Sen announced a moratorium on sending maids to Malaysia amid mounting concerns over rights abuses. But Robertson said Saudi Arabia presents more risks. “This is an entirely different league to what we see in Malaysia,” he said. “The punishments [in Saudi Arabia] are more draconian. It has a brutal, barbarian penal code [with] cruel, unusual, inhumane punishments. “NGOs [for foreign workers] don’t exist on the ground in Saudi Arabia, so workers would be on their own in a hostile situation. And the Cambodian government would be no help . . . it has already shown itself to be incompetent and corrupt.” … Chak Sopheap, president of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, said the government should work harder to create better job opportunities at home to avoid the need to migrate in the first place. “One of the problems is there is a lack of job opportunities in the country. The government should create more jobs,” she said. “Individuals who choose to leave the country for work should benefit rather than suffer from the move.” …
Alice Cuddy
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/deal-would-send-workers-saudi-arabia
