PUBLISHED : 24 Sep 2023 at 04:00
VIETNAM: Thailand will join hands with neighbouring countries to combat call centre scams and fake news.
Puangpet Chunlaiad, the minister attached to the Prime Minister’s Office, said yesterday that she discussed with the Cambodian Minister of Information, Neth Pheaktra, efforts to combat call centre scams.
She also met the Vietnamese Minister of Information and Communications, Nguyen Manh Hung, to understand its anti-fake news initiatives. The talks took place during the 16th Asean Ministers Responsible for Information (AMRI) meeting and the 7th AMRI Plus Three meeting in Danang, Vietnam, on Friday and yesterday.
Many Thais have been lured by call centre scam gangs to work in Cambodia or fallen victim to their promises and lost their life savings, incurred huge debts and even ended their lives. Thailand urgently needs to work with the government of Cambodia to solve the issue, she said.
More cooperation between both countries will be implemented, such as raising awareness around the tricks of scam gangs and strengthening security along the border to prevent illegal crossings. Ms Puangpetch said the discussion on combatting fake news with Vietnam’s Minister of Information and Communications was fruitful.
She praised Vietnam for setting up a committee to fight fake news on social media. She also urged more information sharing between the two countries as well as from Asean members.
Combatting fake news is one of the main items before the AMRI meeting, she said, adding Thailand also supports the Guidelines on Management of Government Information in Combatting Fake News and Disinformation in the Media, as endorsed in the 16th AMRI meeting. Ms Puangpetch and Mr Nguyen both agreed that journalistic ethics are key to ensuring news reliability.