Myanmar scam hub crackdown: 500 Indians detained in Thailand; MEA assures repatriation

NEW DELHI: The ministry of external affairs on Wednesday assured that it was working to repatriate nearly 500 Indians detained in Thailand after they crossed over the border amid Myanmar scam hub crackdown.

"We are aware of Indian nationals who have been detained by Thai authorities. They had crossed into Thailand from Myanmar over the past few days. Our Mission in Thailand is working closely with Thai authorities to verify their nationality and to repatriate them, after necessary legal formalities are completed in Thailand," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement.


Though the statement did not specify the exact number of Indians stranded, Thailand Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said that nearly 500 people crossed over after a crackdown on scam hub in Myanmar.


"The Indian government will send a plane to take them back directly," PTI quoted him saying.

Earlier in March, India repatriated 549 nationals rescued from such facilities near the Myanmar–Thailand border.

UN findings show that cyber scam centres in Myanmar are part of a larger transnational criminal network operating across Southeast Asia, where hundreds of trafficked people are forced into online fraud.

Similar hubs exist in Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines and Malaysia. Among those who recently fled Myanmar into Thailand are both Indian victims and alleged perpetrators of these scams.
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