More than 600 people fled one of Myanmar’s most notorious scam centers and crossed into Thailand, a Thai provincial official said yesterday, after a military raid on the compound.
Sprawling compounds where Internet fraudsters target people with romance and business cons have thrived along Myanmar’s loosely governed border during its civil war, sparked by a 2021 coup.
A highly publicized crackdown starting in February saw about 7,000 workers repatriated and Thailand enact a cross-border Internet blockade.
Photo: AFP
However, an Agence France-Presse investigation this month revealed construction has continued apace at several compounds, while Starlink Internet service receivers have been installed en masse, seeming to connect the hubs to the Elon Musk-owned satellite network.
Tak Province Deputy Governor Sawanit Suriyakul Na Ayutthaya said that “677 people fled from the scam center,” known as KK Park, across the Moei River into Thailand as of yesterday morning.
Another crowd of more than 100 people gathered on the Myanmar side of the main local border crossing to Thailand early yesterday, many carrying large suitcases and backpacks.
Photo: AFP
A driver in the area, speaking anonymously for security reasons, estimated that 700 people had made illegal overnight crossings.
While some scam workers are clearly trafficked into often fortified compounds, experts say others go voluntarily with hopes of earning more in the multibillion-dollar illicit industry than they can at home.
Immigration police and the military had provided assistance “under humanitarian procedures,” Sawanit said.
Those who crossed “will undergo screening” to determine whether they have been victims of human trafficking or if they might be prosecuted for crossing the border illegally, he said.
The Tak Provincial Administrative Organization, which oversees the area, said in a statement that the group entering from Myanmar comprised “foreign nationals” — both men and women — and authorities expected more to cross into Thailand.
Indonesian state news agency Antara reported that about 20 Indonesians had “successfully crossed into Thai territory via the Moei River” as of Wednesday evening, the Indonesian embassy in Yangon said, citing Thai authorities.
Separately, Cambodian authorities arrested 57 South Koreans and 29 Chinese nationals for alleged involvement in transnational cyberscams, a government commission said yesterday, days after dozens accused of working in the illicit networks were repatriated.
Cambodia’s anti-cybercrime commission said in a statement that local authorities on Wednesday raided a building where scam operations were suspected in the capital, Phnom Penh, seizing 126 computers and 30 phones.
CHAOS: Iranians took to the streets playing celebratory music after reports of Khamenei’s death on Saturday, while mourners also gathered in Tehran yesterday Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a major attack on Iran launched by Israel and the US, throwing the future of the Islamic republic into doubt and raising the risk of regional instability. Iranian state television and the state-run IRNA news agency announced the 86-year-old’s death early yesterday. US President Donald Trump said it gave Iranians their “greatest chance” to “take back” their country. The announcements came after a joint US and Israeli aerial bombardment that targeted Iranian military and governmental sites. Trump said the “heavy and pinpoint bombing” would continue through the week or as long
TRUST: The KMT said it respected the US’ timing and considerations, and hoped it would continue to honor its commitments to helping Taiwan bolster its defenses and deterrence US President Donald Trump is delaying a multibillion-dollar arms sale to Taiwan to ensure his visit to Beijing is successful, a New York Times report said. The weapons sales package has stalled in the US Department of State, the report said, citing US officials it did not identify. The White House has told agencies not to push forward ahead of Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), it said. The two last month held a phone call to discuss trade and geopolitical flashpoints ahead of the summit. Xi raised the Taiwan issue and urged the US to handle arms sales to
State-run CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) yesterday said that it had confirmed on Saturday night with its liquefied natural gas (LNG) and crude oil suppliers that shipments are proceeding as scheduled and that domestic supplies remain unaffected. The CPC yesterday announced the gasoline and diesel prices will rise by NT$0.2 and NT$0.4 per liter, respectively, starting Monday, citing Middle East tensions and blizzards in the eastern United States. CPC also iterated it has been reducing the proportion of crude oil imports from the Middle East and diversifying its supply sources in the past few years in response to geopolitical risks, expanding
Pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai’s (黎智英) fraud conviction and prison sentence were yesterday overturned by a Hong Kong court, in a surprise legal decision that comes soon after Lai was jailed for 20 years on a separate national security charge. Judges Jeremy Poon (潘兆初), Anthea Pang (彭寶琴) and Derek Pang (彭偉昌) said in the judgement that they allowed the appeal from Lai, and another defendant in the case, to proceed, as a lower court judge had “erred.” “The Court of Appeal gave them leave to appeal against their conviction, allowed their appeals, quashed the convictions and set aside the sentences,” the judges
RSS