15-3-2024 (KUALA LUMPUR) A man from Negeri Sembilan has raised an alarm, claiming that his 35-year-old sister was abducted by human traffickers and taken to Myawaddy, Myanmar.
Seeking assistance from Segambut PKR deputy chief Deric Teh and the Malaysia International Humanitarian Organisation (MHO), the man revealed that a human trafficking syndicate in Myawaddy, situated on the Myanmar–Thailand border, is demanding a ransom for his sister’s release.
Reportedly, the woman is among numerous individuals ensnared by online scams orchestrated by Chinese-run criminal enterprises along the Moei River, forming the border between Thailand and Myanmar.
According to the man, his sister is being held captive in a cramped room with 10 other victims within a compound known as KK Garden or KK Park, functioning as both a fraud factory and a hub for human trafficking.
Victims hailing from various parts of Southeast Asia are allegedly coerced into carrying out online scams, enduring brutal treatment, and facing threats of violence should they attempt to escape the premises.
As reported by the New Straits Times on 13 March, the woman’s brother was contacted and asked to pay a ransom of RM50,000 for her release, failing which she would be compelled to recruit two additional victims as ‘replacements’.
Chronology of Events:
The brother disclosed that his sister had been communicating with an individual she befriended on Facebook. Subsequently, the man offered her a job as a warehouse storekeeper in Singapore with a monthly salary promise of SGD3,000 (approximately RM10,500).
In September, the woman resigned from her job in Seremban and embarked on her journey, purportedly destined for Singapore. However, she took a connecting flight to Bangkok, Thailand, before being transported to Myanmar by car.
The revelation that she was not in Singapore came to light when the family received a distress call from her on 5 March, seeking assistance.
In her latest communication on 11 March, the woman pleaded for rescue, expressing, “Please save me, take me home.”
Subsequent to multiple demands for ransom from the alleged traffickers, the brother filed a police report and reached out to MHO and the Segambut PKR branch for aid.
Daniel Khoo, the public relations officer of MHO, informed FMT that the victim was believed to have been operating as a participant in a love scam on Facebook, under the condition that she procure two more victims to take her place.
Khoo further stated that they intend to approach the Foreign Affairs Ministry, collaborating with Segambut PKR deputy chief Deric Teh and local NGOs in Myanmar to secure a safe solution for relocating the victim from the clutches of the syndicate.
