20-2-2025 (YANGON) Myanmar began its largest-ever repatriation of Chinese nationals trapped in online scam operations, with the first group crossing into Thailand on Thursday.
The initial cohort of 50 individuals arrived at the Thai border town of Mae Sot aboard two double-decker coaches, marking the beginning of a massive operation expected to free thousands of foreign workers from fraudulent compounds along the Myanmar-Thailand frontier.
Thai border authorities confirmed that three additional groups of 50 Chinese nationals each would cross the border throughout Thursday, launching a three-day operation that aims to repatriate 600 people via 16 specially arranged flights from Mae Sot to various Chinese destinations.
The unprecedented evacuation comes after weeks of diplomatic pressure from Beijing, including multiple visits by Chinese Public Security Assistant Minister Liu Zhongyi to Bangkok and border regions to coordinate the complex repatriation effort. Chinese security personnel are set to escort the returnees on their flights home, though their fate upon arrival remains uncertain.
The Karen Border Guard Force (BGF), a militia group aligned with Myanmar’s military government, has announced plans to release approximately 10,000 individuals from fraud centres under their control. These compounds, which have mushroomed across Southeast Asia, have become a multibillion-pound criminal enterprise, ensnaring workers from various nations through deceptive job offers.
Victims have reported harrowing experiences of passport confiscation, physical abuse, and forced participation in online scams targeting individuals worldwide. Recent investigations have uncovered numerous cases of severe mistreatment, with freed workers displaying evidence of brutal beatings and burns.
