India will fly home 500 citizens from Thailand after a crackdown on a notorious Myanmar scam hub forced hundreds to flee across the border.
BANGKOK: India will repatriate 500 of its citizens from Thailand after a crackdown on a notorious Myanmar scam hub prompted hundreds of workers to flee across the border.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul confirmed the operation on Wednesday.
“Nearly 500 Indians are at Mae Sot,” Anutin told reporters. “The Indian government will send a plane to take them back directly.”
The exodus follows apparent raids on KK Park, one of the most infamous scam centres operating along Myanmar’s loosely governed border.
More than 1,500 people from 28 countries have crossed into Thailand’s Tak province since the crackdown began last week.
Sprawling compounds housing internet scammers have thrived in the region amid Myanmar’s ongoing civil war.
Workers in these hubs typically target victims with romance and business cons.
Many claim they were trafficked into the centres, though analysts note some go willingly for attractive salaries.
Anutin did not specify whether the Indian nationals were considered criminals or victims.
The Indian embassy did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Myanmar’s military has long turned a blind eye to scam centres that profit its militia allies.
However, the junta faces pressure from China to shut down operations that target Chinese citizens.
A February crackdown saw approximately 7,000 workers repatriated from similar hubs.
Thailand also enforced a cross-border internet blockade at that time to disrupt the fraud factories. – AFP
