A multinational crackdown on online scam-operating centres in Myanmar has left thousands of foreigners stuck on the border with Thailand, awaiting assistance. Authorities from China, Thailand, and Myanmar have targeted compounds run by criminal gangs, part of a larger network of trafficking hubs across Southeast Asia.
According to sources, 215 foreigners were freed by Thai and Cambodian police during a raid in a border town last week. However, two Myanmar armed groups – the Karen National Army and the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army – are currently holding around 7,000 former scam centre workers, unable to send them to Thailand due to lack of response from the Thai government.
Aid workers express concern over the dire conditions faced by these victims, with many held in unsanitary facilities. Local authorities fear for their health and well-being. The majority of these workers are Chinese nationals, with around 1,000 coming from other countries.
Thailand’s foreign ministry plans to coordinate future handovers of freed individuals, pending embassy readiness. However, Thai Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai stated that Thailand lacks capacity to accept more people unless foreign embassies repatriate those crossing over.
In recent weeks, authorities have stepped up efforts to tackle scam centres, including cutting power and internet supply to areas linked with these operations. The rescue of a Chinese actor who was lured to Thailand with promises of work and then abducted has contributed to renewed scrutiny on scam centres in the region.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/thousands-limbo-thai-myanmar-border-after-scam-centre-crackdown-2025-02-24