Two Kenyans, lured and exploited to work for a fraudulent network near the Moei River in Myanmar, were rescued at Thailand’s Suvarnabhumi Airport following a collaborative operation between civil society organizations and Thai authorities. The victims reported that the Chinese mafia behind the scam used coded signals to bypass checkpoints in Thailand during their journey to free the two Kenyan trafficking victims, who had been trapped for over a year.
Barack and Kate (pseudonyms), two Kenyan cousins lured to Thailand and forced to cross the border to work for scam operations in Myanmar, were freed at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport, near Bangkok, on December 6, 2024.
The Kenyan embassy in Thailand has taken responsibility for the care of Barack and Kate, guiding them into Thailand’s National Referral Mechanism (NRM) for victims of human trafficking. However, hundreds of other victims from various countries remain trapped in Myanmar’s scam hub in Myawaddy, Karenni State.
Barack and Kate shared their story with the Civil Society Network for Victim Assistance in Human Trafficking, explaining that they were deceived by a Ugandan agent in Dubai, UAE, who promised them legitimate sales and marketing positions at a company supposedly expanding its operations to Thailand. Intrigued by the offer, they decided to pursue the opportunity and traveled to Thailand in August 2023.
“This company claimed it had a branch in Thailand and offered free flights and accommodation for prospective employees to visit and evaluate the company. They assured us that if we were interested, we would undergo an interview process, followed by a contract with employment terms. They promised a salary of $1,200 USD, which seemed very convincing,” Kate explained to the Civil Society Network coordinator.
Upon their arrival at Suvarnabhumi Airport in August 2023, they were met by a group of people claiming to represent the company. The victims were transported to an undisclosed location in northern Thailand.
“We were unaware of where we were going. They told us we were being taken to the company’s location. After hours of driving, we arrived at a department store, where we met others supposedly affiliated with the company. Then, they took us to the river. They switched vehicles multiple times and acted suspiciously. When we arrived at a dark, isolated location near the river, we grew increasingly alarmed,” said one of the victims.
“We refused to board the boat, but they threatened us with weapons, confiscated our phones, and took us to a place they referred to as ‘the Mountain.’ Despite our resistance, they were armed, and we had no choice but to comply,” the victim recalled.
Both Barack and Kate described the place where they were held as resembling a military camp, filled with rooms equipped with computers. Their captors asked if they could speak English, and a few days later, they were instructed to study certain information on the computers. Subsequently, they were told to impersonate a fictional woman in order to manipulate men into investing in fraudulent cryptocurrency schemes.
“They provided us with a mobile phone and contact information, instructing us to follow a scripted conversation. If we did not comply, we were beaten. We had to pretend to be the woman and manipulate men via WhatsApp. Our goal was to make them fall in love and convince them to invest in cryptocurrency. A Chinese man was in charge of the crypto operation. We received $400 USD as our salary for the first month,” they explained.
Barack was later sent to solitary confinement on three occasions. During the last stint, he was held in a dark cell for five days because a target client did not transfer money to the company. The Chinese boss blamed Barack for failing to convince the client to invest in the fraudulent cryptocurrency scheme.
While locked up, Barack was left starving with minimal water, which was taken from a nearby river and was neither filtered nor safe to drink. The Chinese boss also ordered that he be handcuffed in a crucifixion position against the wall, preventing him from sleeping. He passed out from exhaustion on the fifth day and was sent to a clinic to recover. Afterward, Barack and Kate were moved to another scam compound in Myawaddy.
They were able to contact their families and the Kenyan Embassy in October 2023, seeking help. Despite some efforts to rescue victims from Sri Lanka, Kenya, and other countries held in the same compound, Barack and Kate remained trapped until they managed to reach the Civil Society Network on November 1, 2024.
The subsequent rescue operation, led by the Civil Society Network in collaboration with Thai security and humanitarian authorities, resulted in their release at Suvarnabhumi Airport a month later.
Before their release, both victims had lost contact for a brief period on November 3, 2024, after their phones were seized by the Chinese crime syndicate. However, the following day, they were given new phones. They were later transported from Myawaddy’s SpaceX KTV, crossed the border into Mae Sot, Tak Province, Thailand, and eventually arrived at the airport on December 5, 2024.
“During the journey from Mae Sot to Bangkok, a Chinese man sat next to the driver. Before we passed through checkpoints, he told us to hide and then he would signal to the officers with some sort of passcode, allowing the driver to go through without being stopped. The vehicle was changed five times. When we arrived at the airport, we contacted the Kenyan Embassy for assistance,” both victims recalled.
In addition to Barack and Kate, there were groups of Sri Lankan and Nepali victims being held at the same compound. The last group was released in November 2024, but it is estimated that around 800 individuals are still working at the compound, most of whom are Chinese and Myanmar nationals.
Some Chinese individuals at the compound are also victims, coerced into participating in criminal activities. They have been tortured and wish to return home, but their phones have been confiscated, and they are unable to ask for help. In mid-November 2024, four Chinese men attempted to escape the area, but one was shot and killed.
On October 25, 2024, prior to the release of the Kenyan victims, the Civil Society Network for Victim Assistance in Human Trafficking issued open letters to Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, relevant Ministries, and leaders of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) and Myanmar’s Border Guard Forces (BGF) to request support in rescuing 110 trafficking victims from nine different countries. These victims were identified as being trapped in Myanmar, across from Pop Phra and Mae Sot Districts in Tak Province, Northern Thailand.
Following these efforts, the Civil Society Network also reached out to Kannavee Suebsaeng, a Fair Party list-MP and Committee member promoting respect for International Humanitarian Law (IHL), for assistance in gathering more information and clarifying the identities of the victims. As of December 2024, the list of victims has grown to include 302 nationals from 13 countries.
As for Barack and Kate, they have entered the NRM, under the responsibility of Thailand’s Ministry of Social Development and Human Security.