Thailand repatriated hundreds of Chinese nationals freed from Myanmar’s online scam centers on Thursday, as authorities aim to send back 1,500 such workers per week.
Efforts to dismantle illegal cyber scam operations along the Thai-Myanmar border have intensified in recent weeks, with Thailand, Myanmar, and China cooperating to shut down compounds where thousands of foreigners—mostly Chinese nationals—have been forced to work.
Under pressure from Beijing, Myanmar has cracked down on these centers, liberating approximately 7,000 workers from more than two dozen countries, Agence France-Presse reported.
Two weeks ago, around 600 Chinese nationals were returned from Myanmar via Thailand, and last week, officials from the three nations convened in Bangkok to plan further repatriations.
On Thursday, Thai media broadcast footage of buses transporting hundreds of Chinese workers from Myanmar to Mae Sot airport, where they boarded flights to China. The Thai border force later confirmed that 456 Chinese nationals departed on six China Southern chartered planes.
Thai foreign ministry spokesperson Nikorndej Balankura told reporters that the government plans to repatriate 1,500 people per week, or 300 each weekday, with “regular repatriations of Chinese nationals every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.”
Mondays and Tuesdays, he said, will be reserved for the repatriation of other foreign nationals, including Africans, with the ministry coordinating with foreign embassies to facilitate “immediate” returns.
Meanwhile, many of the freed workers remain in overcrowded holding camps near the Thai border, awaiting repatriation under difficult conditions.
Reports indicate that some were deceived or coerced into working in scam operations involving investment fraud, romance scams, and gambling schemes. Many have suffered beatings and other forms of abuse.
One Rwandan scam centre worker, who requested anonymity, told AFP that he had been trafficked into a compound where he was tortured and robbed. “It’s a big challenge. If I get home I will have a big challenge also,” he said.
Concerns are also growing over the unsanitary conditions in the makeshift camps, which have raised fears of disease outbreaks.
“There are sick people… they need be repatriated onto the Thai side as early as possible,” Nikorndej said.
