Four Ethiopian men in a Thai military camp displayed the bruises and scars on their bodies, claiming these marks were left during their detention at the notorious scam center in Myanmar.
"I was subjected to electric shocks every day," said 19-year-old Yotor, who only revealed his first name and showed the wounds on his legs, "They kept punishing me."
Last week, Yotor and another 260 people were transferred from Myanmar to Thailand, most of whom were victims trafficked to the scam center. In recent years, transnational criminal gangs have exploited the Thai-Myanmar border area to establish scam centers, forcing hundreds of thousands to engage in illegal online scam operations. According to a United Nations report, victims are spread across Southeast Asia, forced to commit fraud through online platforms.
Recently, a kidnapping case involving Chinese actor Wang Xing has drawn widespread attention and prompted the Thai government to intensify its crackdown. Wang Xing was originally invited to Thailand for a high-paying acting job but was deceived into going to the Myawaddy area in Myanmar. Thai police later took action, rescued him, and returned him to China.
The Thai government has implemented a series of measures to combat cross-border scams, including cutting off electricity, fuel, and internet supplies in some border areas. On February 19, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha stated that about 7,000 victims rescued from scam centers in Myanmar are waiting to be transferred to Thailand.
Thai Defense Minister Phumtham Wechayachai added that starting Thursday, three flights will be arranged to escort about 600 Chinese citizens back to their homeland from the Thai border town of Mae Sot.
Many rescued victims recalled being forced to work nearly 20 hours a day, mainly conducting scams through social platforms like WhatsApp. Faysal, a 21-year-old man from Bangladesh, revealed that their task was to lure male victims into investing in fake projects.
"When the target says 'I love you,' we start guiding him on how to make money," Faysal said. However, once performance fell short, the scam workers would be beaten and tortured.
"We are not scammers, we are victims," Faysal emphasized.
The Thai government is currently working with international agencies to expedite the repatriation of victims and continue to combat transnational scam groups to prevent more people from falling into the trap.
