The Bureau of Immigration (BI) of the Philippines held a press conference to disclose a shocking transnational human trafficking case. Three main suspects have been interrogated this week at the Prosecutor's Office in Pasay City, facing multiple felony charges including transnational trafficking, fraud, and illegal detention.
The case was investigated by the International Airport Investigation Division of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI-IAID), and the tearful complaints of seven rescued Filipino victims have unveiled the sinister underbelly of the Myanmar scam parks.
According to sworn testimonies obtained by the immigration bureau, these victims were initially lured by high-paying overseas jobs, and upon entering Myanmar, they were immediately controlled by the criminal group. They were imprisoned in a closed park guarded by armed personnel, forced to engage in online fraud for over 16 hours a day. The testimonies revealed: "Failure to meet fraud targets would result in electric shocks, beatings, and other forms of torture, with many suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms."
The immigration bureau's investigation found that the criminal gang posted fake recruitment information on social media and meticulously designed smuggling routes. The suspects induced the victims to travel on tourist visas and forged work permits to evade border checks. Once trapped in the Myanmar scam spots, the victims' passports were confiscated, and they were reduced to "modern slaves" under armed surveillance.
"This has formed a complete criminal industry chain." Norman Chen Xingge, the director of the immigration bureau, emphasized that the authorities are cooperating with Interpol to trace the masterminds behind the scenes. In addition to the three suspects who have been arrested, several fugitives are also listed on the red notice. The immigration bureau has also opened a 24-hour hotline to report, urging the public to be vigilant against "high-paying job" scams.
Data shows that since 2023, the Philippines has cracked 12 similar cases, rescuing over 80 citizens. Psychologists point out that most of the rescued individuals require long-term psychological therapy, with some even showing suicidal tendencies. The Department of Justice stated that it will promote the signing of a bilateral extradition treaty with Myanmar to completely cut off this transnational crime chain.
