Mass crackdowns see thousands of scam center workers waiting in Myanmar for repatriation
Earlier DU thread: Slavery: Thousands rescued from illegal scam compounds in Myanmar as Thailand launches huge crackdown
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Source: Associated Press
Mass crackdowns see thousands of scam center workers waiting in Myanmar for repatriation
By JINTAMAS SAKSORNCHAI and HUIZHONG WU
Updated 8:54 AM EST, February 26, 2025
MAE SOT, Thailand (AP) — A new crackdown on online scam centers has led to over 7,000 people from around the world being held in a Myanmar border town awaiting repatriation, and those helping them say the unprecedented number is straining the resources of Thailand just across the border and leading to delays.
The crackdown coordinated among Thailand, Myanmar and China follows Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s visit to Beijing this month, where she told Chinese leader Xi Jinping that Thailand would act against the scam networks that have drawn in hundreds of thousands of people.
They are often lured under false pretenses to work in scam centers in Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, where they financially exploit people around the world through false romances, bogus investment pitches and illegal gambling schemes.
Many find themselves trapped in virtual slavery.
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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/thailand-myanmar-online-scam-centers-repatriation-133efbf0529fafacf91a4aee27d48a87