Thailand intensifies rescue efforts for 110 trafficking victims in Myanmar

Efforts to rescue approximately 110 trafficking victims in Myanmar are intensifying as the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division (ATPD) collaborates with various government officials.

Commander Sarut Kwaengsopha of the ATPD announced yesterday, October 29, that they are joining forces with the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the Thai embassy’s police attaché in Myanmar, and the Township Border Committee chairman to devise strategies for the victims’ liberation.

This coordinated action follows an appeal made on Saturday by the Civil Society Network for Victim Assistance in Human Trafficking. Open letters were sent to Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and relevant agencies, as well as embassies of nine countries, urging intervention to free the 110 trafficking victims.

Sarut mentioned that foreigners who are rescued and repatriated to Thailand will undergo a national referral mechanism process. This procedure is aimed at identifying, protecting, and assisting trafficking victims.

The network revealed that a Chinese mafia syndicate deceived victims from nine countries, coercing them into working as scammers in Myanmar. Letters outlining the situation were also sent to leaders of ethnic armed groups in Myawaddy, Myanmar’s Karen State. These include the Karen Border Guard Force (BGF) and the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), reported Bangkok Post.

The situation involves 36 Filipinos and one Moroccan held in the BGF-controlled area, while 73 individuals from various nations are detained within DKBA territory. The victims were lured with promises of lucrative employment in Thailand by a transnational syndicate led by Chinese nationals, according to the network.

The syndicate reportedly used social media to entice the victims, who were then forced to cross the border into Myanmar illegally through Tak’s Mae Sot district, the network said.

“Given Thailand’s recent election to the United Nations Human Rights Council for 2025 to 2027, this is a critical moment for the nation to actively support humanitarian rescue operations.”

In related news, a call for government intervention has risen, urging the officials to assist 110 victims of human trafficking who were deceived and transported through Thailand to engage in illegal work in Myanmar.