Forced to scam others worldwide, thousands now detained on Myanmar border
Voice of America
People from China, Vietnam and Ethiopia, believed to have been trafficked and forced to work in scam centers, sit with their faces masked while in detention after being released from the centers in Myawaddy district in eastern Myanmar, Feb. 26, 2025. A sign near military checkpoint warns in Thai, English and Chinese of the danger of being trafficked and forced to work in locked scam compounds across the Myanmar border, in Mae Sot, Thailand, Feb. 26, 2025. Thai soldiers provide security for Indonesian nationals being sent home after being forced to work at scam centers in eastern Myanmar in Mae Sot, Thailand on Feb. 27, 2025. People from China, Vietnam and Ethiopia, believed to have been trafficked and forced to work in scam centers, sit with their faces masked while in detention after being released from the centers in Myawaddy district in eastern Myanmar, Feb. 26, 2025. FILE - Alleged scam center workers and victims from China handed over from Myanmar board a plane at Mae Sot Airport in Mae Sot in Thailand's Tak province on Feb. 20, 2025.
Thousands of sick, exhausted and terrified young men and women, from countries all over the world squat in rows, packed shoulder to shoulder, surgical masks covering their mouths and eyes.
