Most Thais rescued from scam gangs were not trafficked

Only one-in-three of the 525 Thais rescued recently from abuse by call scam gangs in Laukkaing town in northern Myanmar were actual victims of human trafficking.

This was reported during a teleconference involving deputy national police chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn, in Bangkok, and senior police in the northernmost province of Chiang Rai on Wednesday evening.

Chiang Rai police commander Pol Maj Gen Manop Senakul said 525 Thai nationals were rescued from Laukkaing between Nov 18 and Dec 15. Most of them were brought back through China, and the remainder through the border in Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai.

Investigators had learned that 174 of them were actual victims of human trafficking, Pol Maj Gen Manop said. They were lured with offers of work as well-paid administrators of gambling websites.

In reality, once they were hooked they were forced to work as call scammers. If they wanted their freedom, they were told it would cost from 200,000 to 700,000 baht each. Otherwise, they were forcibly detained and forced to continue making scam calls.

Pol Gen Surachate did not say how the others came to be working there. He did say said that of the 525 people brought back to Thailand, 20 were wanted under arrest warrants.