The Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) in Myawaddy town, eastern Myanmar, announced that at around 3 PM today, they will hand over 261 rescued foreigners to the Thai government. These foreigners were previously trafficked and detained by online scam syndicates in a scam park in the suburbs of Myawaddy town.
The rescued individuals include citizens from Pakistan, Nepal, the Philippines, and several African countries. The handover location is in the suburbs of Myawaddy town at the Myanmar-Thailand border and the Ja Kkai Kkai area controlled by the Karen army. After successfully rescuing these victims, the DKBA will hand them over to the Thai authorities for further processing.
According to reports, these victims were primarily targeted by telecommunications fraud syndicates, lured to work in Myanmar, and eventually fell under the control of the scam groups. The Thai government is ready to receive these rescued individuals and assist them in contacting their respective countries' consulates for repatriation matters.
This handover operation marks an important collaboration between Thailand and Myanmar in combating transnational scam crimes, signifying positive progress in their joint efforts against international crime.
The incident has also attracted widespread international attention. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has expressed concern and called for enhanced cooperation among countries to combat cross-border criminal networks.
Meanwhile, the Thai government has stated that it will continue to strengthen border control to prevent similar criminal activities from happening again and will further combat the operations of cross-border scam syndicates through measures such as cutting off electricity and internet access.
