Four Chinese men and women, known as "piglets," were successfully rescued from a scam park in Laos and returned to Malaysia on the eleventh day of the Lunar New Year to reunite with their families.
This rescue operation was jointly conducted by the Malaysian International Humanitarian Organization (MHO), known as the "Piglet Savior," and other social groups. After nearly two months of investigation, they successfully helped them return to their country.
The four victims, aged between 21 and 28, were all lured by a scam group to work in the scam park in Laos, where they faced various threats and pressures. Locally, they were asked by the scam group to pay a ransom ranging from 50,000 to 100,000 yuan to obtain their freedom. However, with the intervention of MHO, these victims were successfully released without paying any ransom.
The rescued victims included three males and one female. They arrived at the second terminal of Kuala Lumpur International Airport at noon that day and attended a press conference accompanied by MHO representative Azrul Shafie and the founder of Penang Loving Kindness Temple, Master Shi Yunde.
The victims recalled the difficulties they still faced during the escape process, indicating that even after escaping the park, they were temporarily placed in an area managed by the embassy but still harassed by members of the scam group.
One male victim's room was illegally entered in an attempt to forcibly abduct him, intending to resell him back to the scam company or to other gangs, but fortunately, it was timely prevented.
Azrul Shafie emphasized at the press conference that scam groups often use "paying ransom" as bait, forcing victims to pay money, and even seizing passports as a means. He specifically warned that victims should not believe the promise that payment will secure their freedom, as scam groups have always used this method to repeatedly deceive people, with the sole purpose of extorting more money.
Regarding the recent measures implemented by the Thai government at the Thai-Myanmar border, including internet, electricity, and fuel cutoffs, Azrul Shafie stated that these strategies might not be completely effective in the short term in combating the presence of scam groups.
He suggested that multiple countries should strengthen joint actions and continue to increase their efforts to eradicate transnational crime. He believes that restricting the supply of electricity, fuel, food, and water in border areas will be an effective means to cut off the roots of illegal groups.
