China’s President Xi Jinping thanked Thailand’s visiting prime minister on Thursday for a crackdown on scam centers in Myanmar, a day after Thailand cut off power and internet to five hubs for illegal operations just across the border.
As Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was meeting with Xi in Beijing, a Myanmar militia allied with the junta freed 61 trafficked foreigners from one of Myanmar’s major scam zones and handed them over to Thai authorities across the border.
In recent years, online fraud has spread throughout Southeast Asia, often relying on workers duped by false job advertisements who are forced to contact people online or by phone in order to trick them into investing in fraudulent investments.
Many perpetrators and victims are believed to be from China, according to research groups.
Reports about the centers have made headlines in recent weeks after a Chinese actor was rescued from eastern Myanmar, alarming the public throughout Asia and resulting in a rash of tour group cancellations to Thailand, raising the prospect of economic damage.
Thai officials have also cited national security as a reason for cutting off electricity and internet to Myanmar’s enclaves, though they have not provided any details.
China Appreciates Strong Measures
According to China’s state broadcaster CCTV, Xi thanked the visiting Thai leader for her government’s actions. “China appreciates the strong measures taken by Thailand to combat online gambling and phone and online scams,” Xi said, according to CCTV.
“The two sides must continue to strengthen cooperation in security, law enforcement and judicial cooperation” and “protect people’s lives and property,” according to Xi.
With the pressure mounting, the Myanmar militia group that has overseen and profited from the fraud operations in the Myawaddy region, the Border Guard Force (BGF), dispatched 61 foreign workers to Thailand on Thursday, pledging to eradicate the illegal businesses.
According to BGF spokesperson Lt. Col. Naing Maung Zaw, the 61 foreigners, some of whom were Chinese, were transported from Myawaddy to the Thai town of Mae Sot via a bridge across a border river.
A Thai organization that assists victims of human trafficking reported that 39 of those released were from China, 13 from India, five from Indonesia, and one each from Malaysia, Ethiopia, Pakistan, and Kazakhstan.
Thai officials spoke to the 61 people, some of whom were women, as they sat in rows of plastic chairs, according to media photographs. Many wore blue surgical masks.
Last month, BGF leaders announced that they had reached an agreement with scam center operators to end forced labor and fraud, and Naing Maung Zaw reiterated his promise to clean up his zone.
“At some point, we will completely destroy this scam business. That’s what we’re working on right now,” he told BenarNews service, adding that utility outages harmed ordinary people more than scammers.
Thai Defense Minister Phumtham Wechayachai greeted the 61 as they entered Thailand.
“Please feel free to give us information and cooperation which will be useful for eradicating this,” Phumtham provided them with.
“Please inform everyone about the conditions there,” he said, before transporting the 61 to an immigration facility to complete paperwork.
Related News:
Thailand and China Crack Down on Scam Call Centers in Myanmar
Geoff Thomas is an award winning journalist known for his sharp insights and no-nonsense reporting style. Over the years he has worked for Reuters and the Canadian Press covering everything from political scandals to human interest stories. He brings a clear and direct approach to his work.
