Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnamese Embassy in the Philippines is taking necessary measures to protect the rights and legitimate interests of the 14 Vietnamese citizens reported to be human trafficking victims there.

Spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang made the statement on October 6 in response to a question about a report that Philippine authorities recently rescued 14 Vietnamese nationals who were victims of human trafficking and incarcerated in Paranaque city.

She noted that shortly after being notified, under the ministry’s direction, the embassy liaised with Philippine authorities and met the nationals to verify the information and take measures to ensure their rights and legitimate interests.

The spokeswoman cited the embassy as saying that as of October 5, 13 of the 14 citizens had been freed, and the remainder who was infected with COVID-19 was under care at a centre for protecting women’s and children’s rights in the Philippines./.
VNA