Officials say those rounded up in Tachileik will face prosecution before deportation is considered
PUBLISHED : 24 Feb 2024 at 14:48
Myanmar military and police have detained 148 Thais following a crackdown on scam call centres and online gambling operations in Tachileik, a border town across from Mae Sai in Chiang Rai.
The raids took place on three suspected illegal call centres situated behind the 1G1 Hotel on Thursday morning, the Tachileik News Agency reported.
According to the report, nearly 700 people were taken into custody, including one Chinese citizen, 540 Myanmar nationals and 148 Thais.
Authorities also seized a handful of computers, eight automobiles and 120 motorcycles.
The report indicated that some of the detained Thais worked as administrators of the centres and travelled back and forth between Thailand and Myanmar using temporary passes. They are currently undergoing questioning.
Myanmar authorities have reportedly said that all individuals detained will face prosecution before any consideration of extradition.
Under pressure from Beijing to crack down on Myanmar-based criminal operations that target mainly Chinese nationals, the military junta in recent months has stepped up arrests and deportations. Some 41,000 suspects were handed over to China last year, Chinese media reported in January.
More than 500 Thais who had been working at scam centres in Laukkaing in Shan State were repatriated late last year. Thai authorities said they had determined that 174 of them were victims of human trafficking.