PHNOM PENH, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Vietnamese marine police have detained 17 Cambodian laborers for smuggling oil in the Vietnamese maritime territory, Cambodian Foreign Ministry spokesman Chum Sounry said in a press release on Wednesday.
The laborers, who worked for Thai oil smugglers, were caught on May 21 when the Vietnamese authorities arrested three Thai vessels and four Vietnamese fishing vessels for shipping and trading oil illegally, he said.
"Currently, the 17 Cambodian laborers have been temporarily detained on the Phu Quoc island in Vietnam's Kien Giang province," the spokesman said.
He said that the Cambodian Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City has visited those laborers and is negotiating with the Vietnamese authorities to repatriate them to Cambodia.
