House urged to act fast to end trafficking

PUBLISHED: 17 Mar 2025 at 20: 23

Ninety-three Thais board a police van taking them to the Criminal Court to face detention early this month. They were deported from Cambodia where they were arrested during raids on call-scam centres in Poipet. (Police photo) — Ninety-three Thai nationals table a police van to take them to the Criminal Court to be detained early this month. They were taken from Cambodia and detained while conducting searches on Poipet’s call-scam centers. ( Photo of the police )

Ten human trafficking patients who were saved from a Cambodian gang of Chinese spies wrote to the House of Representatives to request immediate action.

Jaruwat Jinmankha, the Immanuel Foundation’s vice president, addressed the petition to Fair Party MP Kannavee Suebsang, the House committee’s deputy president, for the patients ‘ concerns.

After responding to work ads promising work as security guards and maids, the patients, according to Mr. Jaruwat, were forced to work for the scam gang in Poipet.

The subjects were detained in the fraud syndicate’s substance where they were subjected to physical mistreatment that left them with serious injuries after their documents were taken by their minders when they arrived in Cambodia.

According to Mr. Jaruwat, some people were forced to use medication, while others were exploited sexually.

In response, the patients are urging the House to take immediate action to stop other people from falling prey to border-based criminal networks and for the Thai government to grant patients justice.

Mr. Jaruwat claimed that none of the syndicate’s conspirators have been charged and that some of the patients have had their bank accounts frozen and slapped with legal costs. &nbsp,

He claimed that there are many Thais who are forced to work for hoax organizations based out of Cambodia. According to the Immanuel Foundation, there could be up to 3, 000 Thai nationals who were trafficked into Cambodia by judicial syndicates.

Some people are 14 years old, while the oldest is 73, according to Mr. Jaruwat.

Since Thailand moved to cut off power, fuel, and digital signals to many Burmese border towns, Mr. Kannavee said Cambodia has taken a tougher stance against unlawful syndicates along the border.

But, he said, the state needs to start considering its next step, citing the shortcomings of the latest victim screening process. &nbsp,

The MP claimed that Thailand needs to collaborate more closely with Cambodia to ensure the success of the onslaught, even though China has been constantly involved in the onslaught on scammers in Myanmar.