China starts repatriating citizens freed from scam centres in Myanmar
The first chartered repatriation flight left Thailand on Thursday, with many more expected in the days ahead.
The development comes after a collective effort from China, Myanmar and Thailand to shut down the centres near the Thai-Myanmar border, which are said to have been behind a number of scams, including romantic ploys and bogus investment pitches.
Criminal gangs are thought to have trafficked hundreds of thousands of people to work at similar sites across Southeast Asia, where they are kept in virtual slavery.
Beijing's repatriation of former scam workers follows the visit of a senior Chinese security official to Thailand and Myanmar on Monday.
Liu Zhongyi, China's vice minister of public security, visited Tak province in Thailand as well as Myawaddy in Myanmar, where hundreds of scam centre workers are thought to be awaiting repatriation.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said that his country was engaging in 'bilateral and multilateral cooperation' with Myanmar, Thailand and other countries to tackle the issue.
'This is part of our joint efforts to eradicate the scourge of online gambling and telecom fraud, and to maintain the safety of people's lives and property and the order of exchanges and cooperation among regional countries,' he said.
In total, around 7,000 people rescued from scam centres are waiting to be moved to Thailand, according to Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra. They will then be repatriated to their countries of origin.
Last week, the Thai army said 260 people of 20 different nationalities had been freed from scam compounds in Myanmar before being moved to Thailand.
A significant number of them came from China, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malaysia, Pakistan and the Philippines, the army said. Others came from countries such as Brazil, Burundi, Cambodia, Nigeria and India.
Earlier this month, Thailand switched off electricity, internet and gas supplies to several areas in Myanmar as part of a crackdown against the scam networks.
The area where the scam centres are located is controlled by the Border Guard Force in Myawaddy, a militia of the Karen ethnic minority.
The group has helped to arrange the repatriation of foreign workers from Myanmar. However, critics accuse it of protecting the scam networks, an accusation it denies.
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