Rescued from Online Slavery in Myanmar, 260 Victims Repatriated

BANGKOK, FRIDAY - Thailand received around 260 foreigners suspected of being victims of human trafficking and slavery in online scam centers from Myanmar. The Thai military announced that they would repatriate them to their respective countries.

The Associated Press news agency reported on Friday (14/2/2025) that hundreds of suspected victims came from 20 countries, mostly Ethiopia, Kenya, the Philippines, Malaysia, Pakistan, and China. There were also citizens from Indonesia, Nepal, Taiwan, Uganda, Laos, Brazil, Burundi, Tanzania, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Ghana, and India. They were sent across the border from Kyauk Khet, Myawaddy, Karen or Kayin State in Myanmar to Tak Province in Thailand, on Wednesday (12/2/2025).

"Those who are rescued will undergo examination, and if identified as victims of human trafficking, will enter the protection process while awaiting repatriation to their home countries," read the statement from the Thai military on Thursday.

The Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) is responsible for the release of workers in Kyauk Khet and bringing them to the border. The Myanmar military junta exercises little control over the border areas where ethnic minorities dominate.

Kyauk Khet is one of the fraud centers that emerged across the Moei River in 2019. Currently, this area is still under construction. About 50 kilometers from Kyauk Khet lies Shwe Kokko, which is the most notorious fraud complex.

A Thai border official who wished to remain anonymous recounted that the complex was operated by a Chinese national with workers from all over the world. The complex is now using electric generators to operate after Thailand cut off the electricity.

In an effort to curb fraud, gambling and drug trafficking, authorities and militia groups in Myanmar and Thailand have been raiding these hubs, releasing and repatriating foreigners.

However, some ethnic militias are also believed to be involved in criminal activities, including drug trafficking and protecting fraudulent call centers.

Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said there may be more fraudulent workers waiting to be repatriated from Myanmar via Thailand. However, Thailand will only accept those who are ready to be repatriated immediately by their home countries.

“Thailand will not set up another shelter,” Phumtham said during a visit to Sa Kaeo province, which borders Cambodia, adding that Thailand also needed to confirm their identities as trafficking victims and obtain information that would help police investigations.

So far, Thailand has nine refugee camps along the border housing more than 100,000 people, most of whom are from Myanmar's Karen ethnic minority.

Thailand borders Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos. The three countries are known as “havens” for criminal syndicates that force hundreds of thousands of people in Southeast Asia and beyond to run online scams. They deceive with fake romance strategies, fake investment offers and illegal gambling schemes.

According to experts from the United Nations (UN), such frauds have raked in tens of billions of US dollars from victims around the world. The people recruited are usually victims who were tricked while looking for work and then trapped in online slavery.

The crackdown on fraudulent hubs in Myanmar has been ongoing since late 2023. At that time, China expressed shame and concern over illegal casinos and fraudulent operations in Myanmar's Shan State. Ethnic guerrilla groups close to Beijing shut down many operations and some 45,000 Chinese nationals suspected of involvement were repatriated.

To underscore Beijing's concerns, China's Vice Minister of Public Security and Commissioner of the Criminal Investigation Bureau Liu Zhongyi visited Thailand in late January 2025. He inspected the border areas of Mae So, Thailand, which is opposite Shwe Kokko Myaing, Myanmar, where many fraud centers are located.

Dramatic stories have emerged of Chinese people being lured to work in Bangkok, only to be trafficked to Myanmar. One high-profile case involved young Chinese actor Wang Xing.

Reported by the Global Times, Wang initially saw the shooting announcement in Bangkok via WeChat social media, December 2024. In January 2025, he was picked up at Bangkok airport and then sent to Myawaddy, Myanmar. Luckily, he was unaware of the fraud and had time to take a photo of the vehicle's license plate to send to his girlfriend in China. His story then went viral on social media which led to an investigation.

Wang was eventually rescued by Thai police. Wang's case sparked a change in the Thai authorities' operations as netizens called it a dangerous country. This is a breath of fresh air considering that illegal operations in Myanmar have been going on for years.

During a visit to China in early February 2025, Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra pledged with Chinese President Xi Jinping to crack down on fraudulent networks plaguing Southeast Asia.

Just before Paetongtarn's visit to China, Thailand issued an order to cut off electricity, internet and gas supplies to five points in northern Thailand bordering Myanmar, including near Myawaddy, citing national security concerns and the severe damage Thailand has suffered from the fraud operation.

Thailand is considering extending the order to northeastern Thailand bordering Cambodia, said Thai Defense Ministry spokesman Thanathip Sawangsang, adding that authorities had removed illegally installed internet cables in the area. (AP/Reuters)