Thousands rescued from scam compounds in Myanmar now stuck at Thai border

More than 7,000 people rescued from scam compounds in Myanmar more than a week ago are still languishing in a detention center on the border with Thailand as they await repatriation. 

On Thursday, 84 rescued Indonesians were permitted to cross the border into Thailand from the town of Myawaddy and will be flown to Jakarta on Friday, the Indonesian Foreign Ministry said. More than 600 people were flown to China last week after crossing into Thailand, but thousands more remain in limbo as Thailand waits for guarantees that their home countries will accept them. 

The victims were rescued primarily by a powerful militia in Myanmar allied with the ruling military junta called the Karen Border Guard Force (BGF), which has itself been accused of involvement in the development of scam hubs in the area, including the notorious Shwe Kokko. 

In early February, Thailand’s Department of Special Investigation requested arrest warrants for three leaders of the BGF on charges of human trafficking. 

Transnational criminal gangs have set up a lucrative industry in Myanmar — as well as in Cambodia and Laos — conning people worldwide primarily through cryptocurrency investment scams. The mostly-Chinese gangs lure workers with fraudulent job offers, often forcing them to carry out the scams in prison-like conditions.  

The BGF’s recent professed commitment to eradicating the scams comes amid a crackdown against the industry on the part of the Thai and Chinese governments, especially after a high-profile incident in which a Chinese actor visiting Thailand was kidnapped and spirited into Myanmar. 

The sudden release of thousands of workers has created an urgent humanitarian crisis, however, and the Thai government said the freed workers would only be allowed to enter the country if their home nations have already confirmed they would be repatriated. 

Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Phumtham Wechayachai expressed concerns on Tuesday that the militias currently responsible for taking care of the rescued workers “may struggle to handle the detainees and could end up releasing them all at once.”

“If that happens, they will flee en masse like a swarm of bees,” he said, according to the Thai newspaper The Nation. Wechayachai implored Thailand’s foreign minister to secure repatriation agreements by Thursday, but the vast majority of detainees reportedly remain in Myanmar today.

The global makeup of the victims is complicating the humanitarian effort, with people reportedly from 29 countries being held in Myawaddy. More than 4,800 of them are from China, while Vietnam, India and Ethiopia are the next most frequent countries of origin, according to the Myanmar-focused Irrawaddy news outlet.

The BBC reported that conditions in the camps are bad, with many of the rescued in poor physical condition and inadequate food for the detainees. 

Earlier this month, the Thai government cut power, fuel and internet to three areas of Myanmar following a visit from China’s Assistant Minister of Public Security Liu Zhongyi where he reportedly called on the Thai government to do more to stop scamming activity in Myanmar. 

The estimated number of people trafficked into scamming operations in Myanmar exceeds 100,000, with Thailand serving as a frequent transit hub.

On Thursday, Wired reported that many scam compounds in the Myawaddy area are now using Starlink to bypass internet restrictions.