Five Cambodian citizens who were held in Malaysia’s Bukit Jalil prison since January arrived in Cambodia yesterday after intervention by the Cambodian Embassy in Malaysia succeeded in obtaining their release, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The repatriated quintet was part of a group of 18 Cambodian migrants jailed in Malaysia for a variety of immigration-related reasons.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has agreed to provide plane tickets to transport the workers home, because they are considered victims of human trafficking, according to a government press release.

“We got approval to have all 18 released from prison, and now we are working with the IOM to get them plane tickets,” ministry spokesman Chum Sounry said.

The IOM handled the necessary interviews for those who returned yesterday, allowing them to completed the repatriation process. The 13 workers who remain in Malaysia are now waiting to be interviewed.

The five repatriated workers, one of whom is female, hail from Tbong Khmum’s Ponhea Kraek and Memot districts.