Reference Image: After news broke of Chinese actor Wang Xing’s rescue, other victims’ families have spoken out, pleading for help. (Screenshot from an online video)
According to a report by Reuters on Monday (February 24), citing three sources, thousands of foreign individuals released from the telecom fraud center in Myanmar are now stranded at the Thailand-Myanmar border following a crackdown by China, Thailand, and Myanmar on criminal gangs operating these fraud schemes.
The telecom fraud centers along the Myanmar-Thailand border have severely tarnished the reputations of China, Thailand, and Myanmar, particularly affecting Thailand's tourism sector. In response, authorities from the three countries have recently collaborated to combat these fraud centers and illegal online activities in the border region.
Reuters also reported that a senior Thai official announced on Sunday that Thai and Cambodian police conducted a raid on a building in a border town, rescuing 215 foreign individuals.
A Thai security official and two aid workers revealed that two armed groups from Myanmar—the Karen National Army (KNA) and the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA)—currently control approximately seven thousand former fraud center personnel but are unable to facilitate their transfer to Thailand.
"Many individuals find themselves in a precarious situation, and the lack of response from Thailand is causing significant distress," stated an aid worker currently on the Thai side of the border. "These victims are becoming victims once again."
The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs has indicated that agencies are in the process of planning the future handover of the released individuals, but this will proceed "based on the readiness of the embassies or the countries of origin."
Officials from the Karen National Army and the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army did not respond to calls from Reuters.
Rescuers report that the majority of individuals under the control of the Karen National Army and the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army are Chinese, with around a thousand others hailing from various countries.
Reports suggest that many former employees of scam centers are being held in poor conditions, raising concerns among local authorities about the lack of sanitation and medical facilities.
Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Phumtham Wechayachai stated last Thursday that Thailand lacks the capacity to accept more individuals unless foreign embassies repatriate those who are merely transiting through the country.
In February, Thailand accepted 260 workers from scam centers, with more than half of them coming from Ethiopia, which does not have an embassy in Thailand.
Last week, Thai authorities also permitted the repatriation of 621 Chinese citizens from a border town to China via multiple flights.
According to United Nations statistics, numerous criminal gangs run by Chinese nationals in Southeast Asia have smuggled hundreds of thousands of individuals into illegal telecom fraud operations. It is estimated that at least 120,000 people in Myanmar and another 100,000 in Cambodia may have been coerced into participating in these lucrative online scams, often lured by false promises of high-paying jobs.
These telecom scam centers have been operating in the region for several years. However, the case of Chinese actor Wang Xing, who was deceived into traveling to Thailand under the guise of a filming opportunity in early January and subsequently trafficked to a telecom fraud zone in Myanmar, attracted significant attention on social media. This prompted intervention from the Chinese embassy in Thailand and Thai police, leading to Wang Xing's rescue and return to his home country.
The Wang Xing incident has ignited a rare grassroots movement in China, leading to the collection of nearly 1,800 names of Chinese individuals who are reportedly being forced to work in telecom fraud centers in Myanmar.
In response to the growing public pressure, the Chinese Communist Party and Southeast Asian nations have stepped up their efforts to combat these fraud centers. This includes Thailand's decision to cut off electricity, fuel, and internet access to regions linked to the fraud operations.
On Monday, Thai police informed reporters that since March 2022, the economic losses incurred by telecom fraud victims in Thailand alone have amounted to 80 billion baht, which is approximately 2.4 billion US dollars.
(Source: Voice of America)
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