A domestic worker from Kampong Cham province who had been working in Malaysia since 2011 is currently seeking shelter at the Cambodian Embassy awaiting repatriation, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In a statement released yesterday, ministry spokesman Koy Kuong says that Nhoung Sreyneang, following a request from her family, was taken away from her employers and given shelter in the Cambodian Embassy.

"Currently, the embassy is working to deal with her boss to get her the full salary before sending her back to Cambodia," the statement says.

In 2011, a moratorium was introduced on sending maids to Malaysia amid mounting concerns over abuses, including rape and starvation.

But after the ban, an estimated 30,000 Cambodian workers were left behind without protection.

Earlier this year, rights groups told the Post that Cambodia's embassy in Kuala Lumpur was exploiting a "legal loophole" and pressuring domestic workers from the Kingdom into renewing their visas.

The embassy denied the allegations.