VNExpress-Aug 28
Four families in Hai Phong City visited Cambodia to pay thousands of dollars in ransom to get their children back after the latter were tricked and trafficked by an acquaintance. Nguyen Tuan of An Duong District in Hai Phong learned late March that his teenage son wished to travel to Cambodia and work with his friends.
It was Nguyen Van Anh, 45, who recommended his son for the job. “Anh is the father of Vu, a close friend of my son. He used to visit us at our home. He seemed to communicate well and care for the kids,” said Tuan. Tuan’s son was one of four teenagers that was tricked and sold to Cambodia by Anh. The other three, also friends of Anh’s son, were two boys and a girl. According to Hai Phong police, Anh has a track record of crimes, having been jailed four times. During his last stint in prison, he came in touch with two inmates nicknamed Vang and Cau, and met them again after his release in 2020. Then, they were working for a gang that smuggled people aged 18-40 to Cambodia for work and offered intermediaries commissions for supplying unsuspecting victims. Anh decided to join them and
targeted a group of his son’s friends, four teenagers aged 16-17. The teens had dropped out of school and wanted to find jobs to support their families. Anh exploited this desire to persuade them to go to Cambodia for work. He told the four that a friend of his, based in Cambodia, was recruiting young workers and promised them salaries of VND18-20 million ($770-855) a month. Read more at: https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/families-pay-ransom-to-buy-back-teens-from-cambodian-mafia-4504965.html
