Nearly all who cross the Thai border into Myanmar do so knowingly and intentionally to work in scam call centres, claimed Pol Gen Thatchai Pitaneelaboot, chief of the police’s Anti-Human Trafficking Centre, today.
Only a tiny percentage, like the Chinese actor Wang Xing, are tricked into going to Myanmar, Thatchai continued.
“I can say that 99% of the returnees intended to work in the networks when they crossed the border into Myanmar. Only 1% were tricked into working there,” he claimed.
He made these statements as hundreds of Thais and foreigners, who had worked in scam call centres in Myanmar, crossed the border into Thailand and surrendered to Thai police.
They were either handed over by Myanmar authorities or claimed to have escaped from the scammers.
All of them insisted, however, that they had been tricked by human trafficking rings into working in call centres in several Myanmar towns.
The Thai side will not allow them to exploit the opportunity by falsely claiming to be victims, Thatchai insisted, adding that the National Referral Mechanism will be used to separate genuine victims from those who participated willingly.
