Japanese teenager rescued from Myanmar scam syndicate

Deck (website)
This comes just weeks after another Japanese high-school student was rescued from similar situation

 

A 16-year-old Japanese boy has been rescued from a scam syndicate operating in Myanmar near the Thai border, Thai authorities confirmed on Friday. 

 

According to Kyodo News, this comes just weeks after another Japanese high-school student was rescued from a similar situation and returned to Japan.

 

The second teenager was taken into protective custody by Thai authorities on Wednesday and has since left the border town of Mae Sot accompanied by Japanese Embassy staff.
  

These rescues highlight the ongoing problem of human trafficking and forced labour at scam operations in the border regions. Thailand has recently intensified its efforts to combat these activities, including cutting power and fuel supplies to known hotspots across the border in Myanmar.

 

On Thursday, Thai immigration police detained a 29-year-old Japanese man suspected of luring the previously rescued student to work at a Myawaddy call centre. The gender of this student has not been disclosed.

 

Nattakorn Reantip, commander of the Thai army's Ratchamanu Task Force in Mae Sot, believes more Japanese nationals are still being held in these scam operations. He cited the recent arrest of four Japanese individuals suspected of voluntarily participating in such activities as evidence.
 
Commander Reantip said the power suspension from Thailand to Myanmar, which began on February 5, has put pressure on the scammers. He indicated that many of those running the syndicates are believed to be Chinese.

 

Since the power cutoff, more than 260 foreign nationals have been released from scam syndicates in Myanmar. They were handed over to Thai authorities in northwestern Thailand by an ethnic rebel group operating in the area.

(2025/02/15-00:00)