Kenyan nationals were among hundreds of foreigners rescued from scam centres in Myanmar and were waiting to be transferred to neighbouring Thailand, the Kenyan foreign ministry said.
The first batch of24 Kenyans were released last Wednesday and another group of 46 were rescued on Tuesday by the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), a Myanmar rebel group based along the Thai border.
"They are among hundreds of other foreigners trafficked to Myanmar late last year and used forcefully to commit various online crimes including scamming, fraud, identity theft, phishing, romance scams and cryptocurrency scams," the foreign ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
Scam compounds have flourished in Myanmar's lawless borderlands, staffed by foreigners, many of whom say they were trafficked and forced to work swindling people around the world.
Numerous countries
Many of those involved are Chinese, though people from numerous countries are thought to have been caught up in an industry analysts say is worth billions of dollars a year.
The Kenyan ministry said the scam centres are located within regions predominantly controled by rebel groups fighting the Myanmar government, thereby making it difficult for rescue operations.
It cautioned against travel to Myanmar for jobs purported to be in Thailand.
"Kenyans should be aware that traffickers use Thailand as a trapdoor to lure vulnerable youth into Myanmar," the statement said.
Search continues
The DKBA said it had found around 260 people from unspecified "businesses" when its personnel looked for forced labour in areas under its control.
"We don't know how they got here," the outfit's chief of staff Major Saw San Aung told Reuters news agency. "We are continuing the search of forced labour, and we will send them back."
Thailand earlier this month cut electricity, fuel and internet supply to parts of Myanmar where the illegal compounds operate, reflecting growing unease in Bangkok over the impact of scam centres on the vital tourism sector.
Since the end of January, Myanmar authorities have identified 1,303 foreigners who entered the country illegally and worked in scam compounds in the Myawaddy area.
Myanmar has been caught up in a widening civil war since 2021, when its powerful military overthrew an elected government, sparking protests that have morphed into a rebellion against the junta.
Swathes of the Southeast Asian country are now controlled by armed groups, including parts of Myawaddy.
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