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Scam Hub Flourishes Along the Thai-Myanmar Border Amid Celebrations of International Human Rights Day, as the Number of Victims Reaches 325

Families of Bangladeshi and Pakistani victims of human trafficking, who were lured into working as scammers along the Moei River between the Thailand-Myanmar border, are urging the Thai government and other leaders to help those suffering in the scam hubs operated by Chinese mafia syndicates using Thailand as a transit point. Many victims face torture, starvation, and electric shocks for disobeying their captors.

December 10, 2024, celebrated as Thailand’s National Constitution Day, also marks International Human Rights Day for United Nations member states. However, the situation along the Thailand-Myanmar border is rapidly deteriorating and becoming a pressing issue for the countries involved in these scam centers.

The Civil Society Network for Victim Assistance in Human Trafficking in Thailand revealed that as of this day, the number of foreign citizens trapped in scam compounds in Myanmar’s Myawaddy, Karenni State, has risen to 325 from 13 different countries. These scam operations have taken root along the Moei River, opposite Mae Sot District in Thailand’s Tak province, for some time. Many rescued victims have reported that Chinese crime syndicates in Myawaddy have been using Thailand as a transit point for years.

These scam hubs, operated by Chinese crime syndicates, are located in areas controlled by the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), the Border Guard Force (BGF)—an ally of Myanmar’s junta regime—and other areas where victims’ exact locations remain unidentified.

The foreign victims include citizens from Laos (19), Uzbekistan (1), Kazakhstan (1), Ethiopia (10), Bangladesh (14), Nepal (1), Morocco (1), Kenya (30), the Philippines (65), Pakistan (30), Taiwan (73), Indonesia (74), and Japan (6).

A Bangladeshi victim rescued from a scam hub in Myanmar last October, Ariyan (a pseudonym), has become a spokesperson for the victims after being deported from Thailand to his home country. On December 10, 2024, he met with officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to urge both the Bangladeshi and Thai governments to enhance their cooperation in rescuing those still trapped in the area and dismantling transnational human trafficking rings.

Ariyan, who had worked in Dubai, was lured by an agent promising a high-paying job in Thailand. After passing an interview, he flew to Suvarnabhumi Airport in Thailand in mid-2024. However, he was smuggled across the border into Myanmar, where he was forced to work as a scammer for months. During this time, he suffered beatings, starvation, and electric shocks for disobeying orders from the Chinese mafia.

One day, he escaped by jumping into the river near the scam compound and sought help. He contacted the Civil Society Network for Victim Assistance in Human Trafficking in Thailand, and a rescue operation was launched in collaboration with Thai authorities in October 2024. After being rescued, Ariyan entered Thailand’s National Referral Mechanism (NRM) for human trafficking victims and was safely deported back home. Since then, he has become a representative for human trafficking victims in Myanmar, emphasizing that these criminal syndicates pose a serious threat to the well-being of people worldwide.

Meanwhile, the families of four Pakistani victims still trapped in Myawaddy have appealed to the media and the Civil Society Network to urge the Thai government to help facilitate their rescue.

“Please help my brother. He has been there for ten months. His life is at risk. He has been forced to work and tortured. I plead with the Thai government to help him,” one Pakistani victim’s sister urged.

A group of 19 Laotian human trafficking victims held in the scam hub along the Moei River has also sought help. After contacting the Lao Embassy in Myanmar, they were told to be patient as the embassy was in contact with Myanmar’s junta, but the embassy claimed the scam compounds were not under the junta’s control.

“We just want to go home to Laos and spend New Year’s with our families. We have asked for help from everyone, including Thai authorities, but months have passed with no answers or hope,” some Laotian victims told Transborder News, a Thai media outlet continuously reporting on the issue.

On October 24, 2024, the Civil Society Network for Victim Assistance in Human Trafficking issued the open letters urging Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, as well as officials from the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Commission on Human Rights, and the relevant embassies, to take immediate action regarding 110 human trafficking victims. These victims had been lured by Chinese mafia syndicates to Thailand, where they were forced to cross the border into Myanmar to work as scammers. The inhumane conditions endured by these victims have led to a rise in the total number of victims to 325 by early December.

Read more:

https://transbordernews.in.th/home/?p=40771

https://transbordernews.in.th/home/?p=40589

https://transbordernews.in.th/home/?p=40563

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