Police launch bust on call centres
PUBLISHED : 25 Feb 2024 at 04:00
The Myanmar military and police have detained 148 Thais in the wake of a crackdown on call centre scams and online gambling operations in Tachileik, a border town opposite Mae Sai in Chiang Rai province.
The Myanmar officers conducted a raid on three suspected illegal call centres situated behind 1G1 Hotel on Thursday morning, Tachileik News Agency reported.
According to the report, nearly 700 people were taken into custody during the raid, including one Chinese national, 540 Myanmar locals, and 148 Thai nationals, 73 of whom were Thai women.
The report also indicated that some of the detained Thais worked as administrators at the centres and travelled back and forth between Thailand and Myanmar using temporary passes. They are being questioned, said the source.
Authorities also seized a handful of computers, 270 mobile phones, 10 automobiles and 170 motorcycles.
The amount of money obtained during the arrest has not yet been revealed.
Myanmar authorities say all individuals detained will face prosecution before any consideration of extradition.
A source said most of the Myanmar locals who were arrested were young people.
After the Myanmar authorities announced they were conscripting youth between the ages of 18-35 years to serve as soldiers, some young people joined call centre scam operators run by shady Chinese businesses to escape conscription.
According to the Myanmar junta’s announcement, all men aged 18-35 and women aged 18-27 are now required to serve in the military for at least two years.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pranpree Bahiddha-Nukara said Myanmar nationals are welcome to visit Thailand and they do not have to apply for a visa unless they want to stay in Thailand for more than 14 days.
The Royal Thai Embassy in Yangon has to set a daily quota of 400 people a day and another 400 will be set by VFS Global, an outsourcing and services company, as background checks must be carried out to prevent Myanmar people from working illegally in Thailand, he said.