MAE SOT, TAK — India is dispatching large military transport aircraft to evacuate its nationals from Mae Sot, Thailand, following nine consecutive days of heavy bombing at KK Park in Myanmar that has forced nearly 1,600 foreign workers to flee across the border.
According to Thai official sources, the Indian Air Force will conduct three evacuation flights on November 6 and 10 from Mae Sot International Airport to repatriate Indian citizens. Thai authorities have completed screening and processing procedures in preparation for the evacuation.
As of the latest count, 1,597 people have fled into Mae Sot district in Tak province—1,332 men and 265 women from 28 nationalities. Indians comprise the largest group with 465 people, followed by Filipinos (220), Chinese (185), Vietnamese (151), and Ethiopians (130).
The mass exodus comes as Myanmar military forces and the Karen Border Guard Force (BGF) continue large-scale bombing operations at KK Park, which began on November 2. The forces have been detonating powerful explosives up to four times daily, with blasts occurring during both daytime and nighttime hours, destroying multiple buildings and facilities.
Shrapnel from the explosions has regularly crossed the border, landing in Mae Ku Tha Sung village in Mae Sot district, endangering Thai residents.
According to AP report, Myanmar has become notorious for hosting cyberscam operations that recruit workers from other countries under false pretenses, promising legitimate employment before holding them captive and forcing them to carry out criminal activities.
Cambodia is another major hub for such operations. International attention intensified on October 14 when the United States and United Kingdom enacted sanctions against organizers of a major Cambodian cyberscam gang, whose alleged ringleader was indicted by a U.S. federal court in New York.
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