Sawt Falasteen - Myanmar scam centre raid sends hundreds fleeing to Thailand

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 publicised crackdown starting in February saw around 7,000 workers repatriated and Thailand enact a cross-border internet blockade.

But an AFP investigation this month revealed construction has continued apace, while Starlink internet service receivers have been installed en masse, seeming to connect the hubs to the Elon Musk-owned satellite network.

Sawanit Suriyakul Na Ayutthaya, deputy governor of Tak province on the Myanmar border, told AFP "677 people fled from the scam centre" KK Park in Myanmar across the Moei river into Thailand as of Thursday morning.

"Immigration police and a military task force have worked together to provide assistance under humanitarian procedures... and they will undergo screening," Sawanit said.

He added the process will allow authorities to determine if individuals are victims of human trafficking, and if not, they may be prosecuted for illegal border crossing.

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.

The Tak Provincial Administration office, 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.

- Conned out of billions -

Indonesian state news agency Antara reported around 20 Indonesians had "successfully crossed into Thai territory via the Moei River" as of Wednesday evening, according to the Indonesian embassy in Yangon, which cited Thai authorities.

The transnational scam industry has ballooned in Southeast Asia in recent years, with thousands of scammers involved, experts say.

Victims in the wider region were conned out of up to $37 billion in 2023, according to a UN report.

Thailand's deputy finance minister Vorapak Tanyawong resigned on Wednesday following allegations linking him to cyberscam operations based in neighbouring Cambodia.

And last week, Cambodia deported 64 South Koreans accused of links to scam networks, with police seeking arrest warrants for most on their return to South Korea.

Cambodian authorities said Thursday they arrested 57 more South Koreans for alleged involvement in cyberscams, as well as 29 Chinese nationals during a police operation in the capital Phnom Penh.

burs-tak/sco/tc

E.Qaddoumi--SF-PST