Human trafficking victim rescued from Myanmar ring by Thai officials

Chiang Rai officials have successfully executed a rescue operation, saving a 29 year old Udon Thani woman, known as Nam, from a human trafficking ring in Myanmar. It was revealed that she had been coerced into providing sexual services to call centre employees in the Shan state by Chinese perpetrators.

The incident was initially flagged by a citizen journalist from the Facebook page, Ninja Today, to the Chiang Rai police and the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security. Utilising the National Referral Mechanism – a regional information-sharing system regarding human trafficking, Thai officials managed to locate Nam in a Chinese-run call centre in Myanmar, leading to her rescue.

Nam returned to Thailand on Friday, narrating her ordeal to the media. She was working at a Bangkok restaurant in May this year when a TikTok user lured her into a “customer relations” role at a site in Shan state. The job promised a daily wage of 900 Chinese yuan (4,300 baht) minus 450 yuan for expenses. Despite initial resistance, Nam was persuaded to travel north to Chiang Rai and cross the Myanmar border with the help of a local smuggler.

On reaching Myanmar, she was taken to a heavily fortified two-storey building, where she was forced to serve the sexual needs of mostly Chinese call centre staff, who were similarly tricked into the operation. Nam was coerced into signing a six-month contract in Chinese, facing assault when she initially refused the human trafficking.

When she declined to perform sexual acts, she was handcuffed, assaulted and starved in a cell for up to three days. Her rescue was only possible when she managed to reach out to Ninja Today, which alerted and coordinated with human trafficking authorities.

In a bid to caution others, Nam spoke to the media about the dangers of enticing job offers in foreign countries. Officials have noticed a surge in human trafficking being carried out over social media and mobile applications to snare potential victims, making rescue operations increasingly challenging and time-consuming. They urged those seeking employment opportunities to remain vigilant.

A recent United Nations report revealed a troubling trend of criminal gangs trafficking “hundreds of thousands” of people, forcing them into scam centres and other illegal online operations across Southeast Asia. Credible sources estimate at least 120,000 people in Myanmar and about 100,000 in Cambodia may be trapped in such operations, with other crime-owned enterprises in Laos, Philippines and Thailand involved in activities ranging from crypto-fraud to online gambling, reports Bangkok Post.

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