IOM has helped eighteen Cambodian fishermen to return home from the
Indian-administered Andaman and Nicobar islands at the request of
the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The fishermen, who arrived in Phnom Penh on March 1st, were
detained in Port Blair by Indian authorities in August 2004 while
working on Thai boats fishing illegally in Indian waters.

IOM's Humanitarian Assistance to Stranded Migrants Programme,
working with the Indian and Cambodian governments, provided medical
check ups and transport from India to the men's home provinces in
Cambodia.

IOM previously helped a total of 85 Cambodian fishermen to
return home from Indonesia - 9 of them in June 2003 and 76 in May
2001.

For more information, please contact:

David Knight

IOM Cambodia

Tel +855 12 900 224

E-mail: "mailto:dknight@iom.int">dknight@iom.int