Latest news with #Thailand-based
Hindustan Times
21 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
NIA raids two Gkp locations, village ex-head detained
A four-member team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) from Lucknow raided two locations in Gorakhpur district early on Saturday morning in connection with a money laundering case. The team detained Munni Lal Yadav, a former village head and the elder brother of Thailand-based trader Panne Lal Yadav, for questioning. Under the supervision of NIA officer Rajesh Kumar Pandey, the team first raided the ancestral home of Panne Lal Yadav in a village under the jurisdiction of Khajni Police Station. Munni Lal Yadav was taken into custody from the residence. The second raid was conducted at a double-storey building near Azad Chowk, also linked to the Yadav family. The six-hour-long operation involved thorough searches and interrogations of family members. During the raids, the NIA seized laptops and several important documents. Personnel from Khajni Police Station were present throughout the operation to assist the NIA team. Following the raid, Deepak Yadav, nephew of Panne Lal Yadav, alleged that NIA officials misbehaved with his sister and elderly mother. However, sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), Rajesh Pratap Singh and Khajni Police Station officials denied any misconduct. Although the NIA has not officially disclosed the reason for the raids, sources indicate that the name and account number of Panne Lal Yadav surfaced during an investigation into a money-laundering case. Suspicious financial transactions led the agency to carry out the raids for further investigation. Shwani, niece of Panne Lal Yadav, stated that her uncle has been living in Thailand for the past 30 years, where he is engaged in business.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
SE Asia trafficked cyber victims freed but far from home
By Rebecca L Root BANGKOK: Most of Jaruwat Jinnmonca's anti-trafficking work used to focus on helping victims swept into prostitution. Now, survivors of cyber-scam compounds dominate his time as founder of the Thailand-based Immanuel Foundation . Hundreds of thousands of victims are trapped in cyber-crime scam farms that sprung up during the COVID-19 pandemic in Southeast Asia, according to the United Nations. Conditions are reported to be brutal, with the detainees ruled by violence. Photos on Jinnmonca's phone show victims with purple and blue bruises, bleeding wounds and even the lifeless body of someone who had been severely beaten or was dead. He has received reports of seven killings from inside compounds this year alone and reports of other forced laborers killing themselves, worn out from waiting for help that may never arrive. "They want to go back home," he said, and if they do not follow orders, the gang leaders "will abuse them until they die. "Some, when they cannot escape, they jump off the seventh or 10th floor. They want to die," he said. Criminal gangs cashed in on pandemic-induced economic vulnerability and even now, workers come from as far as Ethiopia and India, duped into thinking a paid-for journey to Thailand will yield a worthwhile employment opportunity. Instead they spend their days tethered to technology, generating fake social media profiles and compelling stories to swindle money from unsuspecting people, contributing to a cyber-crime economy that accounted for $8 trillion in losses in 2023. In February, under pressure from China after a well-known Chinese actor, Wang Xing, was trafficked, Myanmar authorities and the Thai government collaborated in the biggest rescue operation yet. By shutting down the internet and stopping fuel supplies and electricity in Myawaddy, Myanmar, authorities were able to debilitate several compounds, leading to the release of more than 7,000 workers. Their ordeal, however, is not yet over. Many of them are waiting to be repatriated in holding centers where access to food and medicine is said to be scarce. RESCUE EFFORTS The Immanuel Foundation has rescued more than 2,700 people since 2020. "We bring them to hospital for a health check and then take them to talk to law enforcement," Jinnmonca said, as his phone vibrated for a third time in just 30 minutes. The call was from one of his 12 staff members reporting that the team succeeded in extracting a Thai woman from a scam center in Cambodia. She was covered in scars from beatings but otherwise healthy, the team said. Escaped workers say they were given little food or clean water and threatened with beatings or death if quotas were unmet. For Palit, 42, a former clothing shop owner from northern Thailand, the risk of electric shock was never far away during his six-month detention. He had been attracted to the promise of a high-paying administrative job in South Korea but instead was flown to Mandalay in Myanmar. Fearing he was being trafficked for his organs, it was a relief to know he could keep them, he said. Instead he was forced to spend his time creating fake profiles to engage a minimum of five people every day in online relationships. "I would talk to the target like 'Baby please invest in this, you will get good profit,'" said Palit, who wanted only his first name disclosed. Well known among forced laborers, Jinnmonca's personal Facebook pings with messages, typically four new people each day, begging for help and sharing stories like Palit's. IS HELP COMING? The cross-border nature of trafficking rescue makes the repatriation process difficult and slow, said Amy Miller, regional director for Southeast Asia at Acts of Mercy International, which supports survivors. "They are complaining about the wait time," she said. "There are people who are sick that are maybe not getting treatment. "It's just a tinder box ready to go up in flames." The problem of how to process and provide for so many victims is deterring Myanmar's law enforcement from further rescue operations, Miller said, so the potential for future operations is unclear. "I don't feel super confident that this is actually a reform of the compounds or that they're going to shut down," she said. TARGETING WORKERS Jinnmonca said he believes the most effective way to protect against trafficking and the scams is to imprison the masterminds at the top. "If [we do] not fix this problem, it will only double," he said. Instead, he said, the workers are targeted by authorities. When Palit, who is soft-spoken and quick to smile, was released from a scam center in November 2023 alongside 328 other people, 10 of them were arrested. They were accused of being complicit in cyber crime and kidnapping because their language skills gave them leadership roles in the compound's living quarters. But they were victims as well, said Jinnmonca, and such arrests mean workers rescued from the clutches of criminal gangs in one country may face prison in another.
Business Insider
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
$18 lip gloss and 'glazed donut' skin: How Rhode made its mark on the beauty world in 3 years
Hailey Bieber's Rhode was just sold to ELF Beauty for a billion dollars. Rhode, a skincare-makeup hybrid brand, sells just 10 products in minimalist packaging. From $18 affordable luxury products to a strong social media presence, here's what the brand did right. In 2022, model Hailey Bieber launched a skincare brand with just a handful of products encased in unassuming packaging. Three years on, it's being acquired by ELF Beauty for a billion dollars. The brand, known for its hybrid products that work as both skincare and makeup, sells only 10 products. But it's moving fast in the market — ELF's CEO, Tarang Amin, said in the company's earnings call on Wednesday that Rhode achieved sales of $212 million in the last 12 months. Bieber announced the acquisition in a Wednesday post on Instagram. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Hailey Rhode Bieber (@haileybieber) "I found a like-minded disruptor with a vision to be a different kind of company that believes in big ideas and innovation in the same way that I do and will help us continue to grow the brand," Bieber said in her post. Amin said Bieber would continue to run the show after the acquisition as the brand's chief creative officer. "On the Rhode side, Hailey is a visionary and her unique perspective, tenacity, and passion to reinvent beauty come through in every aspect of the business," Amin said. From creating $18 affordable luxury products to building a robust social media presence, here's what the brand did right. Representatives for Rhode did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. Leaning into Hailey Bieber's "It Girl" aesthetic It's hard to separate Bieber's brand from her — she's one of Gen Z's iconic "It Girls." "Rhode's strong resonance with Gen Z and Gen Alpha—thanks to Hailey Bieber's 'it-girl' influence and viral social media presence—strengthens ELF's connection to younger consumers," said Charlie Scott, the founder of Singapore-based brand consultancy Tangible. Her influence also extends to the millennial space, in part because of her high-profile relationship with 2010s pop star Justin Bieber. "She's married to Justin Bieber, so she has this weird crossover appeal where she's both a model and influencer and connected to millennial nostalgia," said Antonio Fernandez, the CEO of Thailand-based marketing agency Relevant Audience. But it isn't just who she's married to — she's a trendsetter in her own right. Bieber coined the "glazed donut skin" trend in 2021 — referring to the skincare routine that helps make one's appear healthy, glossy and dewy. "My standard when I go to bed at night is that if I'm not getting into bed looking like a glazed donut, then I'm not doing the right thing," she said in a YouTube video on her channel in 2021. Fernandez said Bieber's social media game has been a difference-maker — particularly in how she's turned skincare routines into viral content pieces that move product. The "glazed donut" trend, for instance, has since inspired "glazed donut nails" on TikTok and the viral $20 Strawberry Skin Glaze smoothie at Erewhon. Not trying to be everything to everyone And the packaging matters, too. Scott said Rhode's brand language of minimalist packaging, soft lighting, and the dewy "glazed donut" look reinforces Rhode's identity and sets it apart from more maximalist, or color-focused brands. Rhode sells only 10 products, the bulk of which are skincare-focused. These include a cleanser, lip balms, blush, moisturizer, and others. The product packaging is as restrained as the product selection, with neutral grays, beiges, and browns. "This minimalism, paired with affordable pricing and ingredient transparency, directly tapped into the 'skinimalism' and 'Clean Girl' trends popular with Gen Z and young millennials," Scott added. Teng Chan Leong, the CEO of Skribble, a Malaysia-based marketing agency, said Rhode had distinguished itself by not "trying to be everything to everyone." "Instead, it's nailing one category with cultural relevance and quietly building brand equity," Teng said. Affordable prices On another front, Rhode's products also land in the sweet spot of affordable luxe, the branding experts told BI. Teng said Rhode offers high-performing skincare at accessible price points. Its most popular item, the Peptide Lip Tint, retails for $18, while its Pineapple Refresh cleanser goes for $30. "In an age of rising living costs, Rhode's affordable-yet-chic positioning gives it a clear advantage," Teng said. "It's that 'affordable luxury sweet spot that Gen Z loves — they want to feel bougie without breaking the bank," Fernandez, the marketing expert, said. "Rhode hit the perfect price point - expensive enough to feel premium but not so expensive that regular people can't afford it," Fernandez added. ELF acquisition The ELF takeover could be mutually beneficial to both brands — expanding ELF's offerings while helping Rhode reach a larger consumer base. "ELF cosmetics is about $6.50 in its core entry price point, Rhode, on average, is in the high 20s, so I'd say it does bring us a different consumer set to the company overall, but the same approach in terms of how we engage and entertain them," Amin told CNBC in an interview. Scott said Rhode now has access to ELF's retail partnerships, including Walmart, Target, and Ulta. "This takeover could help Rhode transition beyond its current direct-to-consumer and limited pop-up model, leveraging ELF's extensive distribution network and retail partnerships to reach a broader, global audience," he said. For ELF, the Rhode takeover means an entry into the prestige skincare category, said Teng. "They're buying credibility with Gen Z and a way into the premium market. ELF is known for cheap drugstore makeup, but Rhode sits in that $20-30 sweet spot that screams 'affordable luxury,'" said Fernandez. "The $1 billion price tag honestly makes sense when you look at how fast they grew and how culturally relevant they became. ELF is basically buying a cultural moment and betting it can turn into a lasting brand," Fernandez added.
The Star
2 days ago
- The Star
South-East Asian trafficked cyber victims freed but far from home
BANGKOK: Most of Jaruwat Jinnmonca's anti-trafficking work used to focus on helping victims swept into prostitution. Now, survivors of cyber-scam compounds dominate his time as founder of the Thailand-based Immanuel Foundation. Hundreds of thousands of victims are trapped in cyber-crime scam farms that sprung up during the Covid-19 pandemic in South-East Asia, according to the United Nations. Conditions are reported to be brutal, with the detainees ruled by violence. Photos on Jinnmonca's phone show victims with purple and blue bruises, bleeding wounds and even the lifeless body of someone who had been severely beaten or was dead. He has received reports of seven killings from inside compounds this year alone and reports of other forced labourers killing themselves, worn out from waiting for help that may never arrive. "They want to go back home," he said, and if they do not follow orders, the gang leaders" will abuse them until they die. "Some, when they cannot escape, they jump off the seventh or tenth floor. They want to die," he said. Criminal gangs cashed in on pandemic-induced economic vulnerability and even now, workers come from as far as Ethiopia and India, duped into thinking a paid-for journey to Thailand will yield a worthwhile employment opportunity. Instead they spend their days tethered to technology, generating fake social media profiles and compelling stories to swindle money from unsuspecting people, contributing to a cyber-crime economy that accounted for $8 trillion in losses in 2023. In February, under pressure from China after a well-known Chinese actor, Wang Xing, was trafficked, Myanmar authorities and the Thai government collaborated in the biggest rescue operation yet. By shutting down the internet and stopping fuel supplies and electricity in Myawaddy, Myanmar, authorities were able to debilitate several compounds, leading to the release of more than 7,000 workers. Their ordeal, however, is not yet over. Many of them are waiting to be repatriated in holding centres where access to food and medicine is said to be scarce. The Immanuel Foundation has rescued more than 2,700 people since 2020. "We bring them to hospital for a health check and then take them to talk to law enforcement,' Jinnmonca said, as his phone vibrated for a third time in just 30 minutes. The call was from one of his 12 staff members reporting that the team succeeded in extracting a Thai woman from a scam centre in Cambodia. She was covered in scars from beatings but otherwise healthy, the team said. Escaped workers say they were given little food or clean water and threatened with beatings or death if quotas were unmet. For Palit, 42, a former clothing shop owner from northern Thailand, the risk of electric shock was never far away during his six-month detention. He had been attracted to the promise of a high-paying administrative job in South Korea but instead was flown to Mandalay in Myanmar. Fearing he was being trafficked for his organs, it was a relief to know he could keep them, he said. Instead he was forced to spend his time creating fake profiles to engage a minimum of five people every day in online relationships. "I would talk to the target like 'Baby please invest in this, you will get good profit,'' said Palit, who wanted only his first name disclosed. Well known among forced labourers, Jinnmonca's personal Facebook pings with messages, typically four new people each day, begging for help and sharing stories like Palit's. The cross-border nature of trafficking rescue makes the repatriation process difficult and slow, said Amy Miller, regional director for South-East Asia at Acts of Mercy International, which supports survivors. "They are complaining about the wait time," she said. "There are people who are sick that are maybe not getting treatment. "It's just a tinder box ready to go up in flames.' The problem of how to process and provide for so many victims is deterring Myanmar's law enforcement from further rescue operations, Miller said, so the potential for future operations is unclear. "I don't feel super confident that this is actually a reform of the compounds or that they're going to shut down,' she said. Jinnmonca said he believes the most effective way to protect against trafficking and the scams is to imprison the masterminds at the top. "If [we do] not fix this problem, it will only double,' he said. Instead, he said, the workers are targeted by authorities. When Palit, who is soft-spoken and quick to smile, was released from a scam centre in November 2023 alongside 328 other people, ten of them were arrested. They were accused of being complicit in cyber crime and kidnapping because their language skills gave them leadership roles in the compound's living quarters. But they were victims as well, said Jinnmonca, and such arrests mean workers rescued from the clutches of criminal gangs in one country may face prison in another. - Reuters
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Straits Times
South-east Asia trafficked cyber victims freed but far from home
BANGKOK - Most of Mr Jaruwat Jinnmonca's anti-trafficking work used to focus on helping victims swept into prostitution. Now, survivors of cyber-scam compounds dominate his time as founder of the Thailand-based Immanuel Foundation. Hundreds of thousands of victims are trapped in cyber-crime scam farms that sprung up during the Covid-19 pandemic in South-east Asia, according to the United Nations. Conditions are reported to be brutal, with the detainees ruled by violence. Photos on Mr Jinnmonca's phone show victims with purple and blue bruises, bleeding wounds and even the lifeless body of someone who had been severely beaten or was dead. He has received reports of seven killings from inside compounds this year alone and reports of other forced labourers killing themselves, worn out from waiting for help that may never arrive. 'They want to go back home,' he said, and if they do not follow orders, the gang leaders 'will abuse them until they die. 'Some, when they cannot escape, they jump off the seventh or 10th floor. They want to die,' he said. Criminal gangs cashed in on pandemic-induced economic vulnerability and even now, workers come from as far as Ethiopia and India, duped into thinking a paid-for journey to Thailand will yield a worthwhile employment opportunity. Instead they spend their days tethered to technology, generating fake social media profiles and compelling stories to swindle money from unsuspecting people, contributing to a cyber-crime economy that accounted for US$8 trillion (S$10.3 trillion) in losses in 2023. In February, under pressure from China after a well-known Chinese actor Wang Xing was trafficked, Myanmar authorities and the Thai government collaborated in the biggest rescue operation yet. By shutting down the internet and stopping fuel supplies and electricity in Myawaddy, Myanmar, authorities were able to debilitate several compounds, leading to the release of more than 7,000 workers. Their ordeal, however, is not yet over. Many of them are waiting to be repatriated in holding centers where access to food and medicine is said to be scarce. Rescue efforts The Immanuel Foundation has rescued more than 2,700 people since 2020. 'We bring them to hospital for a health check and then take them to talk to law enforcement,' Mr Jinnmonca said, as his phone vibrated for a third time in just 30 minutes. The call was from one of his 12 staff members reporting that the team succeeded in extracting a Thai woman from a scam centre in Cambodia. She was covered in scars from beatings but otherwise healthy, the team said. Escaped workers say they were given little food or clean water and threatened with beatings or death if quotas were unmet. For Mr Palit, 42, a former clothing shop owner from northern Thailand, the risk of electric shock was never far away during his six-month detention. He had been attracted to the promise of a high-paying administrative job in South Korea but instead was flown to Mandalay in Myanmar. Fearing he was being trafficked for his organs, it was a relief to know he could keep them, he said. Instead he was forced to spend his time creating fake profiles to engage a minimum of five people every day in online relationships. 'I would talk to the target like 'Baby please invest in this, you will get good profit,'' said Mr Palit, who wanted only his first name disclosed. Well known among forced labourers, Mr Jinnmonca's personal Facebook pings with messages, typically four new people each day, begging for help and sharing stories like Mr Palit's. Is help coming? The cross-border nature of trafficking rescue makes the repatriation process difficult and slow, said Ms Amy Miller, regional director for South-east Asia at Acts of Mercy International, which supports survivors. 'They are complaining about the wait time,' she said. 'There are people who are sick that are maybe not getting treatment. 'It's just a tinder box ready to go up in flames.' The problem of how to process and provide for so many victims is deterring Myanmar's law enforcement from further rescue operations, Ms Miller said, so the potential for future operations is unclear. 'I don't feel super confident that this is actually a reform of the compounds or that they're going to shut down,' she said. Targeting workers Mr Jinnmonca said he believes the most effective way to protect against trafficking and the scams is to imprison the masterminds at the top. 'If [we do] not fix this problem, it will only double,' he said. Instead, he said, the workers are targeted by authorities. When Mr Palit, who is soft-spoken and quick to smile, was released from a scam centre in November 2023 alongside 328 other people, 10 of them were arrested. They were accused of being complicit in cyber crime and kidnapping because their language skills gave them leadership roles in the compound's living quarters. But they were victims as well, said Mr Jinnmonca, and such arrests mean workers rescued from the clutches of criminal gangs in one country may face prison in another. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
