Mass crackdowns see thousands of scam center workers waiting in Myanmar for repatriation
Top News
1 month ago

Mass crackdowns see thousands of scam center workers waiting in Myanmar for repatriation

Associated Press  

MAE SOT, Thailand — A new crackdown on online scam centers has led to over 7,000 people from around the world being held in a Myanmar border town awaiting repatriation, and those helping them say the unprecedented number is straining the resources of Thailand just across the border and leading to delays. The crackdown coordinated among Thailand, Myanmar and China follows Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s visit to Beijing this month, where she told Chinese leader Xi Jinping that Thailand would act against the scam networks that have drawn in hundreds of thousands of people. As part of Thailand’s crackdown, it also has cut off electricity, internet and gas supplies to several areas in Myanmar hosting scam centers along the border, citing national security. Amy Miller, Southeast Asia director of aid group Act of Mercy International and based in Thailand’s Mae Sot on the Myanmar border, told the AP she has never seen such a large-scale release of potential victims of human trafficking.

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History of this topic

Indonesia begins repatriating more than 500 freed Myanmar scam centre workers
1 week, 3 days ago

Indonesia begins repatriating more than 500 freed Myanmar scam centre workers

Hindustan Times  

Indonesia on Tuesday began repatriating more than 500 of its nationals freed from online scam centres in Myanmar, officials said, bringing them home from an ordeal where they suffered violence and threats. Indonesia begins repatriating more than 500 freed Myanmar scam centre workers Cyberscam operations, which have thrived in Myanmar's lawless border areas for several years, lure foreign workers with …

Myanmar repatriates over 2,800 Chinese involved in telecom fraud cases
1 week, 5 days ago

Myanmar repatriates over 2,800 Chinese involved in telecom fraud cases

Firstpost  

Over 2,800 Chinese telecom fraud suspects who were part of gangs luring locals and foreigners to work in telecom scam centres along the Myanmar-Thailand border have been repatriated to China for trials. A total of 2,876 Chinese nationals suspected of involvement in telecom fraud have been repatriated from Myawaddy, Myanmar to China as part of a joint operation involving China, …

India Secures Repatriation Of 283 Nationals Rescued From Myanmar Scam Centres
Top News
2 weeks, 3 days ago

India Secures Repatriation Of 283 Nationals Rescued From Myanmar Scam Centres

ABP News  

As many as 283 Indian nationals were rescued and repatriated from Myanmar on Monday by India. These citizens were lured into Myanmar with fake job offers, and were made to indulge in cybercrime at scam centres in regions along the Myanmar-Thailand border. The ministry of External Affairs said that the government has been making sustained efforts to secure the release …

Over 280 Indians trapped by fake job offers in Myanmar rescued, repatriated via IAF flight
2 weeks, 3 days ago

Over 280 Indians trapped by fake job offers in Myanmar rescued, repatriated via IAF flight

India TV News  

Over 280 Indians trapped by fake job offers in Myanmar rescued, repatriated via IAF flight As per the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian embassies in Myanmar and Thailand have coordinated with the local authorities to secure the repatriation of the Indian nationals on Monday by an Indian Air Force aircraft from Mae Sot in Thailand. As many as 283 Indian …

Nearly 300 Indian nationals brought back home following release from scam centres in Myanmar
2 weeks, 3 days ago

Nearly 300 Indian nationals brought back home following release from scam centres in Myanmar

Firstpost  

Around 7,000 workers from at least two dozen countries have been freed, the majority of them Chinese, but many have been languishing in squalid conditions in temporary holding camps on the Myanmar-Thai border Victims of scam centers who were tricked or trafficked into working in Myanmar, stuck in limbo at a compound inside the KK Park, a fraud factory, and …

Nearly 300 Indians repatriated from Myanmar scam centres
Trending News
2 weeks, 4 days ago

Nearly 300 Indians repatriated from Myanmar scam centres

New Indian Express  

Bangkok, Thailand: Nearly 300 Indians flew home through Thailand on Monday after being released from scam centres in Myanmar, officials in the kingdom said, as part of efforts to shut down the illegal online fraud operations. A group of Indian officials crossed into Myanmar to accompany seven buses taking the freed Indian nationals -- as well as three more carrying …

What people face in Myanmar after release from forced labour
2 weeks, 4 days ago

What people face in Myanmar after release from forced labour

ABC  

A dramatic and highly publicised operation by the Thai, Chinese and Myanmar authorities has led to the release of more than 7,000 people from online scam compounds in Myanmar. Thousands of young men and women from Asia, Europe and Africa released last month from modern day slavery are now waiting in an indefinite limbo at repurposed scam centres and army …

Takeaways from the AP’s reporting into what people face in Myanmar after release from forced labor
Trending News
2 weeks, 5 days ago

Takeaways from the AP’s reporting into what people face in Myanmar after release from forced labor

Associated Press  

MAE SOT, Thailand — A dramatic and highly publicized operation by the Thai, Chinese and Myanmar authorities has led to the release of more than 7,000 people from online scam compounds in Myanmar. Thousands of young men and women from Asia, Europe and Africa released from modern day slavery are now waiting in an indefinite limbo at repurposed scam centers …

They were forced to scam others worldwide. Now thousands are held in detention on the Myanmar border
2 weeks, 5 days ago

They were forced to scam others worldwide. Now thousands are held in detention on the Myanmar border

Hindustan Times  

MAE SOT, Thailand — Thousands of sick, exhausted and terrified young men and women, from countries all over the world squat in rows, packed shoulder to shoulder, surgical masks covering their mouths and eyes. “The ministry attaches very high importance to this and is aware that there are sick people, and that they need to be repatriated,” Nikorndej Balankura, spokesman …

They were forced to scam others worldwide. Now thousands are held in detention on the Myanmar border
Trending News
2 weeks, 5 days ago

They were forced to scam others worldwide. Now thousands are held in detention on the Myanmar border

Associated Press  

MAE SOT, Thailand — Thousands of sick, exhausted and terrified young men and women, from countries all over the world squat in rows, packed shoulder to shoulder, surgical masks covering their mouths and eyes. Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print One young man from India said about 800 people were being held in …

Thai police nab 100 suspects in major fraud crackdown
3 weeks, 2 days ago

Thai police nab 100 suspects in major fraud crackdown

Firstpost  

Criminal syndicates have trafficked hundreds of thousands of people to work in sprawling compounds that use sophisticated techniques to trick people into transferring funds, generating illicit revenues running into billions of dollars each year, according to a United Nations report Victims of scam centers who were tricked or trafficked into working in Myanmar, stuck in limbo at a compound inside …

Thailand arrests 100 people for operating in border scam centre
3 weeks, 2 days ago

Thailand arrests 100 people for operating in border scam centre

Hindustan Times  

BANGKOK, - Thailand's police on Wednesday detained 100 people for their alleged involvement in a scam centre in Cambodia, its first arrest of Thai nationals in a regional crackdown on massive fraud operations. Arrest warrants were also issued for two Chinese nationals who were alleged "gang leaders", stemming from a raid of a scam centre last month by Thai and …

84 Indonesians freed from scam centers in Myanmar arrive home
Trending News
3 weeks, 6 days ago

84 Indonesians freed from scam centers in Myanmar arrive home

Associated Press  

JAKARTA, Indonesia — Eighty-four Indonesians freed from scam centers in Myanmar arrived in Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, late Friday, part of a massive repatriation movement that is straining regional resources. They were among more than 7,000 people being held in the Myanmar border town Myawaddy following a crackdown on the scam centers by Thailand, Myanmar and China. “They were healthy,” said …

Some foreigners pulled out of Myanmar scam centres face struggle to get home
3 weeks, 6 days ago

Some foreigners pulled out of Myanmar scam centres face struggle to get home

Hindustan Times  

* Some foreigners pulled out of Myanmar scam centres face struggle to get home Multi-national crackdown launched on scam compounds * Hundreds of foreign nationals moved to militia camp * Conditions in the camp are difficult, witnesses say * Some face problems trying to go home, they say By Devjyot Ghoshal and Panu Wongcha-um BANGKOK, - Hundreds of foreign nationals …

84 Indonesians freed from scam centers in Myanmar are set to go home
1 month ago

84 Indonesians freed from scam centers in Myanmar are set to go home

Associated Press  

MAE SOT, Thailand — Eighty-four Indonesians freed from scam centers in Myanmar were set to return home Friday as the repatriation of thousands of such workers after a crackdown strains regional resources. The Indonesians were among more than 7,000 people being held in the Myanmar border town Myawaddy following a crackdown on the scam centers by Thailand, Myanmar and China. …

84 Indonesians taken out of scam centers in Myanmar are set to go home
Top News
1 month ago

84 Indonesians taken out of scam centers in Myanmar are set to go home

Associated Press  

MAE SOT, Thailand — Eighty-four Indonesians freed from scam centers in Myanmar arrived at the Thai border city of Mae Sot earlier on Thursday in an ongoing repatriation effort that follows a crackdown by Thailand, Myanmar and China. Last week, the Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry said they were coordinating to repatriate as many as 270 of their citizens stranded in …

Mass crackdowns see thousands of scam center workers waiting in Myanmar for repatriation
1 month ago

Mass crackdowns see thousands of scam center workers waiting in Myanmar for repatriation

Live Mint  

MAE SOT, Thailand — A new crackdown on online scam centers has led to over 7,000 people from around the world being held in a Myanmar border town awaiting repatriation, and those helping them say the unprecedented number is straining the resources of Thailand just across the border and leading to delays. The crackdown coordinated among Thailand, Myanmar and China …

Mass crackdowns see thousands of scam center workers waiting in Myanmar for repatriation
1 month ago

Mass crackdowns see thousands of scam center workers waiting in Myanmar for repatriation

LA Times  

People from China, Vietnam, Ethiopia believed to have been trafficked and trapped into working in online scam centers gather after they were rescued in Myawaddy district in eastern Myanmar on Wednesday. A new crackdown on online scam centers has led to more than 7,000 people from around the world being held in a Myanmar border town awaiting repatriation, and those …

Myanmar repatriates more than 100 Chinese nationals in third batch of scam centre crackdown
1 month ago

Myanmar repatriates more than 100 Chinese nationals in third batch of scam centre crackdown

Firstpost  

Myanmar’s junta said in a statement that a third group of 111 Chinese nationals was handed over on Saturday via the Thailand-Myanmar Friendship Bridge 2 at the Thai border town of Mae Sot A Chinese national, who was taken from scam centers in Myanmar amid a mounting crackdown on scam centers operating along a porous border, is escorted by soldiers …

Myanmar scam centre victims rescued, 100s being airlifted by China
1 month ago

Myanmar scam centre victims rescued, 100s being airlifted by China

Op India  

On Thursday, as many as 1000 Chinese nationals were airlifted from Myanmar to China after being rescued from online scam centres. In recent days, thousands of Chinese nationals who were lured to Thailand on the pretext of jobs and trafficked into Myanmar, have been rescued and repatriated as a part of a crackdown on online scam centres in Myanmar. Deported …

Myanmar returns 300 more Chinese scam center workers
1 month, 1 week ago

Myanmar returns 300 more Chinese scam center workers

Raw Story  

Myanmar handed over 300 Chinese scam center workers to be repatriated through Thailand on Friday, as authorities intensify a crackdown on the illegal operations. Myanmar's junta said in a statement that a second group of 300 Chinese nationals was handed over on Friday via the Thailand-Myanmar Friendship Bridge 2 at the Thai border town of Mae Sot. Chinese foreign ministry …

Hundreds of Chinese airlifted home after crackdown on Myanmar scam centres
1 month, 1 week ago

Hundreds of Chinese airlifted home after crackdown on Myanmar scam centres

Al Jazeera  

Thailand is facilitating the transfer of thousands of people rescued from scam centres on the border of Myanmar. As many as 1,000 Chinese nationals rescued from online scam centres in Myanmar are due to return home following an international crackdown on the illegal operations. The Karen Border Guard Force, a group allied with Myanmar’s military government, says it will deport …

China airlifts nationals Thailand rescued from online scam centres in Myanmar
1 month, 1 week ago

China airlifts nationals Thailand rescued from online scam centres in Myanmar

Firstpost  

Thousands of foreigners are expected to be repatriated from Myanmar in the coming weeks, starting with hundreds of Chinese nationals over the next three days Chinese Public Security Assistant Minister Liu Zhongyi is surrounded by media after inspecting the repatriation of alleged scam centre workers and victims from China, at Mae Sot International Airport in Tak province on February 20, …

China airlifts nationals Thailand rescued from online scam centres in Myanmar
1 month, 1 week ago

China airlifts nationals Thailand rescued from online scam centres in Myanmar

Firstpost  

Thousands of foreigners are expected to be repatriated from Myanmar in the coming weeks, starting with hundreds of Chinese nationals over the next three days Chinese Public Security Assistant Minister Liu Zhongyi is surrounded by media after inspecting the repatriation of alleged scam centre workers and victims from China, at Mae Sot International Airport in Tak province on February 20, …

China begins repatriation from Thailand of more than 1,000 online scam workers rescued from Myanmar
1 month, 1 week ago

China begins repatriation from Thailand of more than 1,000 online scam workers rescued from Myanmar

Associated Press  

BANGKOK — An airlift carrying more than 1,000 Chinese nationals who had worked at online scam centers in eastern Myanmar began Thursday, after the rescued workers were taken across the border to Thailand and put on chartered flights to China. Thailand, China and Myanmar have coordinated efforts over the past month to shut down the scam centers that bilked victims …

Battered Myanmar scam center workers wait for deportation to China
1 month, 1 week ago

Battered Myanmar scam center workers wait for deportation to China

Raw Story  

Battered and bruised Chinese workers from online scam centers in Myanmar faced an anxious wait to return home, as Beijing and Thailand finalized plans on Wednesday for their repatriation. In a shabby, strip-lit room in a building in Shwe Kokko -- a Myanmar border town known as a hub for scam centers -- dozens of workers, mostly Chinese, sprawled on …

Myanmar detains 270 foreigners from scam compounds on Thai border
1 month, 1 week ago

Myanmar detains 270 foreigners from scam compounds on Thai border

Hindustan Times  

By Shoon Naing Myanmar detains 270 foreigners from scam compounds on Thai border Feb 18 - Myanmar authorities detained 273 foreigners from scam compounds along the border with Thailand on Monday, as a senior Chinese official visited frontier towns on both sides in a widening crackdown on illegal online operations. Hundreds of thousands of people trafficked by criminal gangs have …

A top Chinese official tours Thai-Myanmar border to highlight crackdown on scam centers
1 month, 1 week ago

A top Chinese official tours Thai-Myanmar border to highlight crackdown on scam centers

Associated Press  

BANGKOK — Efforts to shut down online scam centers in Myanmar appeared to gain momentum on Monday as a top Chinese security official visited both sides of the Thai-Myanmar border ahead of expected large-scale repatriations of workers in the illicit industry. Thailand and China coordinate crackdown on scam centers On a visit to China in early February, Thai Prime Minister …

Scam center survivors tell of beatings, abuse in Myanmar
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Scam center survivors tell of beatings, abuse in Myanmar

Raw Story  

by Sally JENSEN At a scam compound in Myanmar, Filipina worker Pieta had just days to romance strangers online and trick them into investing in a fake business -- failing which she would be beaten or tortured with electric shocks. electric shocks," she told AFP from a holding centre in Phop Phra, about 30 kilometres south of Thailand's Mae Sot …

Scam centre survivors tell of beatings, abuse in Myanmar
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Scam centre survivors tell of beatings, abuse in Myanmar

Hindustan Times  

At a scam compound in Myanmar, Filipina worker Pieta had just days to romance strangers online and trick them into investing in a fake business failing which she would be beaten or tortured with electric shocks. Scam centre survivors tell of beatings, abuse in Myanmar Pieta was one of 260 people many visibly injured or bruised rescued from an illicit …

260 foreigners rescued from virtual slavery in Myanmar’s online scam centers are being repatriated
1 month, 2 weeks ago

260 foreigners rescued from virtual slavery in Myanmar’s online scam centers are being repatriated

Associated Press  

BANGKOK — Some 260 people believed to have been trafficked and trapped into working in online scam centers are to be repatriated after they were rescued from Myanmar, Thailand’s army announced Thursday. In a fresh crackdown on scam centers operating from Southeast Asia, the Thai army said it was coordinating an effort to repatriate some 260 people believed to have …

Thailand finds a way to tackle Myanmar’s scam centres scaring away Chinese tourists: Cut the power supply
Top News
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Thailand finds a way to tackle Myanmar’s scam centres scaring away Chinese tourists: Cut the power supply

Firstpost  

Thailand’s action comes amid growing concerns over the impact of transnational crime networks in Myanmar’s border areas, including Tachileik, Myawaddy, and Payathonzu. AI generated image via DALL-E Thailand has suspended electricity supply to multiple locations along its border with Myanmar in an effort to crack down on scam centres run by criminal syndicates, which have been blamed for deterring Chinese …

Thailand cuts power to Myanmar border areas home to scam compounds as Chinese pressure builds
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Thailand cuts power to Myanmar border areas home to scam compounds as Chinese pressure builds

CNN  

Bangkok CNN — Thailand cut electricity supplies on Wednesday to several areas in neighboring Myanmar that are home to sites at the center of a global, billion-dollar online scam industry. The scam compounds have operated for years, shielded by corruption and lawlessness that has long saturated Myanmar’s border regions — and only worsened after years of devastating civil war. “But, …

Thailand will cut power to Myanmar border to stop 'scam centres' run by gangs
Trending News
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Thailand will cut power to Myanmar border to stop 'scam centres' run by gangs

ABC  

Thailand will cut the power to some border areas with Myanmar in an effort to curb "scam centres" where human trafficking victims are forced to work in cyber fraud operations. Chinese actor Wang Xing talks with Thai police officers in Mae Sot district, in Thai-Myanmar border, Tak province on January 7, 2025. Thai police said Xing was lured by a …

Thailand cuts power to Myanmar border areas home to scam compounds as Chinese pressure builds
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Thailand cuts power to Myanmar border areas home to scam compounds as Chinese pressure builds

CNN  

Bangkok CNN — Thailand cut electricity supplies on Wednesday to several areas in neighboring Myanmar that are home to sites at the center of a global, billion-dollar online scam industry. The scam compounds have operated for years, shielded by corruption and lawlessness that has long saturated Myanmar’s border regions — and only worsened after years of devastating civil war. “But, …

Fears male model who disappeared may have been trafficked to scam centre
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Fears male model who disappeared may have been trafficked to scam centre

ABC  

It was every budding actor's dream — a message congratulating him on a successful audition for a role in a film. There are now grave fears he could be latest victim of a human-trafficking ring that is feeding scam centres in Myanmar's lawless borderlands and forcing victims to become scammers. Whisked across the border and forced to scam The disappearance …

Thailand’s top diplomat visits Myanmar border amid clashes, evacuations
11 months, 2 weeks ago

Thailand’s top diplomat visits Myanmar border amid clashes, evacuations

Al Jazeera  

Foreign Minister Parnpree arrives in Mae Sot to review measures to deal with people fleeing fighting across frontier. Thailand’s foreign minister has visited a border town near Myanmar, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, after days of clashes in which the military regime’s troops were forced into retreat by ethnic minority armed groups and hundreds of residents forced to flee. …

In Thailand, Myanmar exodus a lifeline for COVID-battered economy
3 years, 3 months ago

In Thailand, Myanmar exodus a lifeline for COVID-battered economy

Al Jazeera  

Undocumented migrants are filling labour shortages in Thailand as the economy rebounds from the worst downturn since 1997. “We don’t have documents and we’re too afraid to register now in case we are thrown out,” Sithu, a Myanmar national working illegally at a downtown Bangkok restaurant, told Al Jazeera. “There are around 700,000 to one million migrant workers in that …

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