Thai victims rescued from scams in Myanmar amid regional crackdown

Gop still feels fear as he recounts his days in "Building 9," a notorious hub of telecom fraud located in an area he refers to as "No Man's Land."

Drawn by the allure of promising job opportunities in northern Myanmar, Gop, like many others, soon found himself ensnared in a reality far removed from his expectations. Instead of the well-paying job he had anticipated, he was trapped in a nightmare of coercion and abuse within a deceptive scam operation.

"To try to get help is not worth it," said Gop, a Thai national who was rescued from Myanmar. "If we get caught, we get punished and physically harmed."

The lure and the trap  

In "Building 9," the compound's sole entry was closely monitored by men armed with rifles, surrounded by high walls with razor wire. Once inside, all mobile phones and passports were seized, cutting off any contact with the outside world and blocking escape routes. Within these confines, Gop was forced to run online scams.

"Some people were electrocuted. I was often hit and beaten. I even wrote a farewell letter to family because I didn't think I would survive," he told CGTN.

Knot, a 38-year-old Thai national who endured similar horrors, said that as he now seeks a return to normal life, he confronts not only societal judgment but also personal turmoil, grappling with feelings of guilt and shame.

"Society views victims of trafficking as those who intend to defraud people," Knot explained. "We were just trying to find better jobs and income. But we ended up being victims of trafficking. Still, many view us as deceitful."  

In response to such perceptions, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has emphasized the importance of understanding the predicament of individuals coerced into scamming operations, as well as the need to recognize their circumstances rather than labeling them as perpetrators.

"People who are coerced into working in these scamming operations endure inhumane treatment while being forced to carry out crimes," he said. "They are victims. They are not criminals."

The geopolitical quagmire

The experiences of Gop and Knot, echoing the struggles of hundreds of Thais, reveal the harsh reality of the growing telecom scam industry in northern Myanmar.

Operations are intricate, employing social media and deceptive job ads to lure individuals from Thailand and other Asian countries. Upon arrival in Myanmar, these victims discover they are hopelessly trapped, with their escape depending on external intervention or ransom. Those who defy orders or fall short of imposed targets face brutal beatings and torture.

Northern Myanmar, referring to Shan State and Kachin State bordering China, is recognized as a hub for telecom fraud. The region's intricate network of powerful armed military factions creates an ideal setting for fraudulent schemes to thrive amid its complex geopolitical landscape.

In this environment, fraudulent dens, often shielded by the region's chaotic landscape, receive protection from local insurgent groups like the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army and the Karen National Liberation Army, in exchange for shares of the profit. The close ties between criminal operations and armed insurgency in the area make it challenging to tackle and dismantle these fraudulent networks.

The scope of cyber scams in Southeast Asia is vast. A recent UN report estimated that hundreds of thousands of people worldwide have been trafficked to Southeast Asia to run online scams. In Myanmar alone, around 120,000 people, along with an additional 100,000 in Cambodia, are coerced into these illicit activities.

According to the report, these workers endure severe human rights abuses, including torture, arbitrary detention, sexual violence, and forced labor. Financially, each victim is typically defrauded of an average of $160,000, often through elaborate schemes executed via unregulated social media platforms.

Combating a web of deceit

In the last two months, over 500 Thai citizens, allegedly trafficked and trapped in Myanmar's conflict zones, have been rescued and evacuated.

This is part of wider collaborative efforts by China, Thailand, Myanmar and Laos. These countries have launched joint operations to dismantle cyber scam networks in northern Myanmar.

Amid escalating clashes between soldiers and armed ethnic minority groups in the area, the joint action has evacuated hundreds of Thais back home. The Thai government identifies most of these returnees as victims of human trafficking.

"We have received reports of women getting raped and sold. The worst case is death. Anyone who goes, becomes a slave," said Jaruwat Jinmonca, vice president of the Immanuel Foundation, a Southeast Asian NGO dedicated to combating human trafficking, particularly in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.

These rescues would not have been feasible without China's crackdown, he added.

In its ongoing efforts to combat telecom fraud, China's Ministry of Public Security reported in November that a total of 31,000 suspects have been transferred from Myanmar to Chinese custody to date. This move, as part of the ongoing cross-border law enforcement cooperation with Myanmar initiated in September of this year, specifically targets telecom fraud and represents concerted effort to curb this type of criminal activity.