110 people from nine countries lured with fraudulent job offers to travel to Thailand
PUBLISHED : 26 Oct 2024 at 20:11
The government is being urged to help 110 victims of human trafficking rings that used Thailand as a transit point for their operations to lure people to do illegal work in Myanmar.
In an open letter to Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the Network for Victim Assistance in Human Trafficking said criminal groups based in Myawaddy, opposite Tak province, had lured 110 people from nine countries with fraudulent job offers to travel to Thailand.
The traffickers promised attractive salaries and helped with the paperwork and travel expenses for the victims, the letter said. However, upon their arrival in Thailand, these people were forced to cross the border illegally to Myanmar via the Mae Sot checkpoint.
Their documents and communication devices were taken away and they were forced to perform illegal activities, it said. Some victims also faced physical abuse, and their captors contacted their families to demand ransom.
The letter said the 110 victims were detained in areas under the control of two armed rebel groups — the Karen Border Guard Force (BGF) and the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA). Of the victims, 36 Filipinos and one Moroccan were held in the areas controlled by the BGF and the others were in the areas managed by the DKBA.
The BGF has been linked to criminal activities including scam call centres that help finance its activities. The DKBA controls parts of Myawaddy where numerous casinos are located.
The Network said the foreign ministries of Bangladesh and the Philippines had also sent requests to the authorities, seeking assistance for their nationals lured by the trafficking gangs.
Citing a May report by the United States Institute of Peace, it said transnational criminal gangs in Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos make $43.8 billion each year.
It said the Thai government could not distance itself from the issue because the traffickers used Thailand as a transit point.
“As a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2025–27 term, Thailand can use this to increase its role in defending human rights and coordinating efforts with others in helping victims and combating human trafficking along the border,” said the letter.