The Civil Society Network for Victim Assistance in Human Trafficking has urged Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Prime Minister of Thailand, as well as officials from the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Commission on Human Rights, and the embassies of nine countries in Thailand, to take immediate action regarding 110 human trafficking victims. These individuals, lured by a Chinese mafia syndicate, are being forced to cross the border to work as scammers in Myanmar.
On October 26, 2024, the network sent open letters to these authorities and leaders of the ethnic armed groups in Myawaddy, Karen State, Myanmar, including the Karen Border Guard Force (BGF) and the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA).
The letters called for urgent intervention in the critical situation involving 110 victims from nine different nationalities, who are currently trapped in areas of Myanmar controlled by the DKBA and BGF. Sources also indicate that 36 Filipinos and one Moroccan are being held in the BGF area, while 73 individuals from various countries are in DKBA-controlled territory.
The victims were enticed by a transnational criminal syndicate led by Chinese-speaking offenders, who used social media to offer high-paying jobs in Thailand. The syndicate facilitated travel documents and covered expenses, but upon arrival, the victims were trafficked and forced to illegally cross the border into Myanmar through Mae Sot District in Tak Province, northern Thailand.
Once in Myanmar, their phones were confiscated, and they were subjected to debt bondage, labor exploitation, severe physical abuse, and ransom demands. Many victims have managed to secretly contact their families and embassies for help and have coordinated with the Civil Society Network for Victim Assistance in Human Trafficking.
“The Chinese mafia syndicate specifically exploits the Mae Sot District as a transit hub for trafficking victims from various countries into Myanmar, taking advantage of the shared border along the Moei River. This region is primarily controlled by the BGF and DKBA, complicating rescue operations and creating significant challenges for the victims’ countries. It is increasingly difficult for Thailand to evade its responsibility to address this long-neglected issue,” the network stated.
According to a report released in May 2024 by the United States Institute of Peace, criminal groups in Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar are generating approximately $43.8 billion annually through scams, equivalent to about 1.53 trillion Thai Baht. These criminal syndicates not only threaten global economic stability through rampant online fraud but also endanger lives and violate human dignity.
“Given Thailand’s recent election to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for 2025-2027, this is a critical moment for the country to actively support humanitarian rescue operations for the victims and coordinate efforts to combat human trafficking along the Thai-Myanmar border,” the Civil Society Network for Victim Assistance in Human Trafficking concluded in their letter.
This is a translation from original Thai article https://transbordernews.in.th/home/?p=40390