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More than 250 foreign workers from 20 nationalities who had been trapped in telecom fraud centres in Myanmar’s Karen State have been released by an ethnic armed group and handed over to Thai authorities.
The workers—more than half from African or Asian nations—were received by the Thai army and are now being assessed to determine if they were victims of human trafficking.
Crackdown on Scam Operations
The release comes amid growing efforts by Thailand to shut down scam centres that have proliferated along the Thai-Myanmar border. Last week, Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra met Chinese President Xi Jinping and pledged to intensify efforts to dismantle these criminal networks.
Her government has since cut access to power and fuel from the Thai side of the border and tightened banking and visa regulations to prevent scam operators from using Thailand as a transit hub for moving workers and money. Some opposition MPs in Thailand have been pushing for such action for the past two years.
How the Scams Operate
Foreign workers are often lured to these scam compounds with promises of high salaries or tricked into believing they will be working legitimate jobs in Thailand. Upon arrival in Myanmar, many find themselves forced into cyber fraud operations, including:
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“Pig butchering” scams (romance scams that trick victims into fraudulent investments)
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Crypto fraud
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Money laundering
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Illegal gambling
Some workers willingly take part, but others are held against their will, only released if their families pay large ransoms. Survivors have reported cases of torture.
Armed Groups and Their Role
The Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA), one of several ethnic armed groups controlling parts of Karen State, facilitated the release of the workers. However, armed factions like the DKBA have long been accused of protecting scam compounds and allowing trafficking victims to be exploited.
Since Myanmar’s independence in 1948, the central government has struggled to extend its authority over Karen State, where multiple armed groups operate semi-independently.
Targeting the Kingpins
On Tuesday, Thailand’s Department of Special Investigation—akin to the US FBI—requested arrest warrants for three commanders of another armed group, the Karen National Army. Among them is Saw Chit Thu, a Karen warlord who, in 2017, struck a deal with a Chinese company to build Shwe Kokko, a controversial city widely believed to be a hub for scam operations.
While Yatai, the Chinese company behind Shwe Kokko, claims scams no longer operate there, local sources said otherwise, and a worker confirmed the fraudulent activities persist.
Like the DKBA, Saw Chit Thu broke away from the main Karen insurgent group, the KNU, in 1994 and allied himself with the Myanmar military. Under pressure from Thailand and China, both he and the DKBA have now pledged to expel scam businesses from their territories.
The Handover of Workers
On Tuesday, a DKBA commander contacted a Thai MP to arrange the release of 260 workers, including 221 men and 39 women. The freed individuals hail from a diverse range of countries, including Ethiopia, Kenya, the Philippines, Malaysia, Pakistan, China, Indonesia, Taiwan, Nepal, Uganda, Laos, Burundi, Brazil, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, India, Ghana, and Cambodia.
Thai authorities are now working to determine their next steps, including possible repatriation for those trafficked into forced labour.
