JOHOR BARU: Seven Chinese nationals, who were stranded at the airport after being cheated in a job scam, flew to Guangzhou at 10pm Sunday and another 18 will leave on another flight Monday.
Skudai Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry adviser Chan Keng Pang said the 25 foreigners stayed at a hotel near the airport after their plight was reported in the newspapers.
He said relatives and friends of the 25 farmers in China raised the money to buy the tickets for them to return home. However, another batch of 25 farmers are still waiting for their family members to raise enough money so that they can buy a plane ticket home.
"These people are illiterate and were easily conned by bogus agents going to villages in China offering them jobs in construction sites in Johor Baru with lucrative pay," said Chan.
He said there were many such victims being duped by bogus agents in China.
Chan said the bogus agents use the ongoing mega property development projects by China-based developers in Iskandar Malaysia to cheat the unsuspecting farmers.
It was reported that the farmers paid between 20,000 yuan (RM12,767) and 60,000 yuan (RM38,302) to an agent, who offered them lucrative jobs at a construction site in Johor.
The victims, who are from different parts of China such as Jilin, Henan and Szechuan, were brought to Johor in batches starting April 10 by the agent, who then left them at the construction site.
The victims only realised there were no such job offers at the site, and the work visa that the agent supposedly applied for them was actually a social visit pass.
They went back to the airport and with the little money left on them, they survived only on a meal per day, mainly relying on bread and biscuits.
The Chinese embassy said in a statement that it sent representatives to the airport after learning of the farmers' plight and arranged for their accommodation and meals.
It said the Chinese government is concerned about the issue as well as the rights of its citizens going overseas to look for jobs.
It also said that the Chinese government will take action against the unscrupulous parties involved in offering such dubious deals to its citizens.
Read more at http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/04/16/stranded-chinese-farmers-homeward-bound-after-jb-job-scam/#cOrfH2qCSJ65oAxk.99
