Thailand has rescued thousands of people from notorious scam centers on its border with Myanmar. Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said that around 7,000 people are waiting to be transferred to Thailand after being rescued from the centers. The victims were lured to Thailand with fake job offers and then trafficked to Myanmar, where they were forced to try to scam people worldwide.
The crackdown began last month after a Chinese actor was abducted in Bangkok, promising him a lucrative acting job. The Thai government promised to shut down the centers after meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Authorities cut off power and internet access to some areas on the other side of the border.
Over 260 workers from 20 countries, mostly from Africa and Asia, were repatriated last week. Many of them reported being forced to work long hours trying to defraud people on messaging services like WhatsApp, with those who failed to meet targets being beaten and given electric shocks. The repatriations were organized by a group in Myanmar called the Border Guard Force, but critics say it is protecting scam operations in the region where the government has little influence.
Source: https://www.newser.com/story/364525/thousands-rescued-from-notorious-scam-compounds.html