Kenyans trapped in Cambodia by trafficking scheme seek government aid to return home

NAIROBI, Feb 24 - More than 600 Kenyans lured to Cambodia by the promise of jobs who say they were kept there against their will in a trafficking scheme sought on Tuesday to force their government to bring them home.

Cambodia's interior ministry said it had rescued them as part of a crackdown on scam centres, which have proliferated in Southeast Asia in recent years.

The papers filed in Kenya's High Court on Monday say the Kenyans were kept in a guarded compound surrounded by high perimeter walls and barbed wire, until it was raided by Cambodian authorities.

They were forced to work continuously for 16 hours a day to meet extreme targets, and several suffered stabbings and carried untreated injuries, the court filings say.

The group asked the court to issue urgent orders compelling Kenya's foreign ministry and other state agencies to provide consular protection, issue emergency travel documents and repatriate them.

Their petition cited constitutional protections against torture and slavery, and argued that the state had a duty to protect its citizens abroad.

A Kenyan foreign ministry spokesperson said she was not aware of the case.

The filings say Cambodian authorities have told the group of Kenyans to leave by February 28 or face legal action and potential imprisonment. The group say they cannot afford flights back to Kenya.

Cambodia's interior ministry said it was a misunderstanding that the group could face legal action.

The spokesperson said that foreigners rescued from scam centres were kept in "safety shelters" while discussions were held with their embassies on sending them back home.

Kenya's High Court was due to hear the case on Tuesday. REUTERS