KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian man was among 61 individuals rescued from suspected human trafficking and online scam operations in Myanmar and sent back to Thailand on Thursday.
Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of Malaysia to Thailand, Bong Yik Jui, confirmed that the 32-year-old Malaysian man from Perak arrived in Mae Sot, Tak Province, on the same day.
“The Malaysian Embassy in Bangkok has confirmed with Thai authorities the identity of the Malaysian citizen.
“The embassy will work with the former on deportation once the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) process is completed,” he told Bernama when contacted on Friday.
The rescued individuals are undergoing a screening process under the NRM to confirm their status as trafficking victims and assess any potential involvement in criminal activities before their repatriation.
Xinhua reported that 61 foreign nationals – 39 Chinese, 13 Indians, five Indonesians, and one each from Ethiopia, Pakistan, Malaysia, and Kazakhstan – were handed over by the Myanmar Border Guard Force to Thai authorities at the Mae Sot border checkpoint in Thailand’s Tak province.
Thai Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai met the victims at the Tak Immigration Office in Mae Sot on Thursday.
To combat online scam operations, Thailand has cut electricity, internet, and fuel supplies to five Myanmar border towns near its northern frontier, starting Wednesday, citing national security concerns and the severe damage inflicted on the kingdom by these criminal networks.
