174 of 525 rescued thais ‘trafficked’
published : 29 dec 2023 at 04:00
authorities have verified the identities of over 500 thai citizens who were rescued from scam gangs in laukkaing, north myanmar, between november and december, saying 174 were victims of human trafficking.the finding was reported to deputy national police chief, pol gen surachate hakparn, during a teleconference attended by senior police based in chiang rai on wednesday evening.
chiang rai police commander, pol maj gen manop senakul, said that in total, 525 thais were rescued from laukkaing between nov 18 and dec 15. most were repatriated through china, due to the conflict between armed ethnic rebels and the junta in myanmar, but some were brought home via the thai-myanmar border crossing in mae sai district.
after questioning those repatriated from laukkaing, authorities concluded that 174 were actually human trafficking victims, pol maj gen manop said, adding they were lured by the scammers with the promise of high wages.
initially, they were told they would be working as administrators for an online gambling website, but in reality, they were forced to work as scammers targeting thai citizens.related
they were told that they had to pay 200,000-700,000 baht if they wanted to leave, he said.
pol gen surachate said authorities were still trying to figure out how the rest ended up in myanmar.
however, he said that out of the 525 people brought back to thailand, 20 were wanted by law enforcement agencies.
most thais rescued from scam gangs were not trafficked
published : 28 dec 2023 at 11:48
thais rescued from laukkaing board an army bus in mae sai district, chiang rai, on nov 18. (photo: pha muang task force)
only one-in-three of the 525 thais rescued recently from abuse by call scam gangs in laukkaing town in northern myanmar were actual victims of human trafficking.this was reported during a teleconference involving deputy national police chief pol gen surachate hakparn, in bangkok, and senior police in the northernmost province of chiang rai on wednesday evening.
chiang rai police commander pol maj gen manop senakul said 525 thai nationals were rescued from laukkaing between nov 18 and dec 15. most of them were brought back through china, and the remainder through the border in mae sai district of chiang rai.
investigators had learned that 174 of them were actual victims of human trafficking, pol maj gen manop said. they were lured with offers of work as well-paid administrators of gambling websites.
in reality, once they were hooked they were forced to work as call scammers. if they wanted their freedom, they were told it would cost from 200,000 to 700,000 baht each. otherwise, they were forcibly detained and forced to continue making scam calls.related
pol gen surachate did not say how the others came to be working there. he did say said that of the 525 people brought back to thailand, 20 were wanted under arrest warrants.
发表回复