More Vietnamese rescued in Philippines repatriated safely: official

Another 80 Vietnamese citizens recently rescued from a casino in Pampanga province, near Manila capital of the Philippines, have been safely repatriated, raising the number of those returning home so far to 140.
Deputy Spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Duc Thang (Photo: VNA)

Deputy Spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Duc Thang (Photo: VNA)

Addressing the ministry’s regular press meeting on June 1, Deputy Spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) Nguyen Duc Thang said the citizens are among the 437 Vietnamese rescued from the casino in Pampanga. The first 60 arrived in Vietnam on May 30.

The MoFA has ordered its Consular Department and the Vietnamese Embassy in the Philippines to maintain contact with the Philippine side to repatriate the remainders early and safely and guarantee the rights and legitimate interests of the Vietnamese citizens, he noted.

He emphasized the Vietnamese Government’s policy of promoting legal, safe, and orderly migration and resolutely fighting illegal migration, arrangement of illegal migration, or human trafficking.

The MoFA has been coordinating with localities and relevant agencies to increase communications to warn people to stay cautious about advertisements on easy jobs not requiring any degrees or certificates since they could become victims of labor exploitation, illegal residence, or even human trafficking, the Deputy Spokesman noted.

Regarding the traffic accident involving 13 Vietnamese, comprising 11 deaths and two injured, in Jingxi city of China’s Guangxi province on May 19, the official said the Consular Department and the Vietnamese Consulate General in Guangxi’s Nanning city have worked with local authorities to instruct and assist the victims’ families to carry out post-incident procedures to bring the bodies home and take necessary citizen protection measures to repatriate the injured.

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