SAN FRANCISCO: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has thanked the Peruvian authorities for rescuing 43 Malaysian victims of human and labour exploitation in Peru recently.
The prime minister conveyed his appreciation to Peruvian president Dina Ercilla Boluarte Zegarra on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Economic Leaders meeting (AELM) here today.
Anwar also reiterated Malaysia's commitment to continue training Peruvian officials under the Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme and to learn from each other's expertise.
In response, Zegarra conveyed her government's commitment to prevent and combat incidents of human trafficking.
She also invited Anwar to visit Peru next year in conjunction with APEC 2024 which Peru is chairing, and called on Malaysian businesses to visit and invest in the country.
Zegarra also requested Malaysia to consider opening an office in Peru to help facilitate halal certification of its products.
To this, Anwar said Malaysia's halal certification is recognised worldwide and agreed to facilitate Peru's request as soon as possible.
Malaysia-Peru trade has been on the rise with January to June figures showing business of US$168.45 million (RM751.77 million) conducted between both sides.
This was an increase of 12.8 per cent from US$155.97 million (RM666.44 million) recorded in the same period in 2022.
It was previously reported that 43 Malaysians were rescued by police in Peru after they fell victim to a human trafficking syndicate operating a telecommunication fraud.
The Malaysians were involved in the so-called Macau scam that reportedly originates from crime syndicates in Taiwan and China, in which scammers impersonate banks or public officials to trick a person into disclosing their personal banking details or transfer money into a third-party accoiunt.
The victims in Peru were rescued after police raided a house in La Molina in the capital Lima on Oct 17.