Thousands of foreigners rescued from online scam centres in Myanmar remain stranded on the Thai-Myanmar border following a multinational crackdown on criminal-run illegal scam compounds, three sources said on Monday.
In recent weeks, authorities from China, Thailand and Myanmar have attempted to dismantle scam centres and illegal online operations on the border, part of a network of illegal compounds across Southeast Asia where hundreds of thousands have been trafficked by gangs, according to the United Nations.
Thai and Cambodian police raided a building in a border town and freed 215 foreigners, a senior Thai official said on Sunday.
Two Myanmar armed groups – the Karen National Army (KNA) and the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA)- are currently holding around 7,000 former scam centre workers but are unable to send them to Thailand, a Thai security official and two aid workers said.
“Many are stuck in limbo and Thailand’s lack of response is causing great harm,” said one of the aid workers, currently on the Thai side of the border. “It is like these victims are being victimised again.”
Thailand’s foreign ministry said that agencies are currently planning for future handovers of those freed, which would “proceed based on the readiness of the embassies or the countries of origin”.
KNA and DKBA officials did not respond to calls from Reuters.
The majority of these workers are Chinese, with about 1,000 from other foreign countries, according to the aid workers.
Many of the former scam centre workers are being held in dire conditions and local authorities are concerned about the lack of sanitation and health facilities, they said.
