Thailand is facilitating the transfer of thousands of people rescued from scam centres on the border of Myanmar.
As many as 1,000 Chinese nationals rescued from online scam centres in Myanmar are due to return home following an international crackdown on the illegal operations.
They are among the thousands of foreigners freed this week from scam centres, where they were forced to run romance and investment scams, among others.
Many claim to be victims themselves, lured to countries like Thailand with the false promise of a job before they were trafficked over the border into Myanmar.
The Karen Border Guard Force, a group allied with Myanmar’s military government, says it will deport 10,000 people from the Myanmar-Thailand border region in the coming days.
Thailand, China and Myanmar are working together to shut down scam centres on the Thailand-Myanmar border.
Thai authorities are overseeing much of the evacuation and processing, with workers being sent from Myanmar to Thailand in small batches.
The UN estimates that as many as 120,000 people may be working in online scam centres in Myanmar, where criminal gangs have taken advantage of the country’s instability and ongoing civil war.
Another 100,000 may be trapped in Cambodia, according to the UN, with thousands more in similar facilities across Southeast Asia.
Earlier this month, Bangkok cut off electricity to the border region in a bid to slow down gangs.
A first group of 200 people flew back to China on Thursday, where they were filmed by state media wearing handcuffs and matching jumpsuits as they departed their plane.
The most recent crackdown began after a high-profile case in January. Chinese actor Wang Xing was lured to Thailand with the promise of a film role and was then taken across the border to Myanmar.
He was quickly rescued by Thai authorities, but the case went viral on Chinese social media, along with discussions about the dangers of travelling to Thailand.