MAE SOT — China has begun flying home hundreds of Chinese nationals accused of involvement in online scam operations in Myanmar, with the first group of 300 people transported from Thailand on Monday, Thai authorities said.
The group is part of 1,208 Chinese nationals who were transferred from Myanmar to Thailand after Myanmar’s military authorities launched major crackdowns on Chinese-run scam hubs in KK Park, Shwe Kokko and other areas of Myawaddy township.
Myanmar’s operations, which began in October, followed earlier raids that critics say have not stopped many ringleaders from relocating elsewhere.
Security officers and immigration police in Thailand’s Tak province escorted the first batch of detainees from holding cells at the Mae Sot immigration checkpoint to Mae Sot International Airport, near the border with Myanmar. Chinese officials received them there before they were put on chartered flights back to China.
Thai and Chinese authorities conducted joint identity checks and body searches before each person was escorted onto the aircraft by Chinese police. Security around the airport was tightened throughout the operation, which proceeded without incident, officials said.
Multiple charter flights departed for China on Monday, with a total of 6 flights scheduled from December 1 to 4.
The detainees had previously worked in Chinese-run scam compounds across Myawaddy, which Myanmar’s military and allied forces raided in recent weeks, sending many operators fleeing. Myanmar’s military government says it began cracking down on online scams and illegal gambling in early September, but rights groups argue that many ringleaders continue operating in other locations.
In Shwe Kokko alone, a six-day operation beginning November 18 resulted in the arrest of 1,746 foreigners.
Thai authorities said all 1,208 Chinese nationals handed over by Myanmar have already been processed under Thai law and are being repatriated through diplomatic channels. This week’s flights mark another round of multinational cooperation to dismantle transnational scam networks that have flourished along the Myanmar–Thailand border.
Earlier this year, more than 12,500 foreign nationals linked to scam operations were detained, with nearly 10,000 deported through Thailand. Some workers from African countries and other regions told authorities they had been lured to the compounds under false pretenses and were prevented from leaving.
India also sent military aircraft on November 6 and 10 to evacuate its nationals from Mae Sot as Myanmar military forces and the Karen Border Guard Force intensified operations in KK Park starting November 2. The raids included powerful explosions occurring multiple times a day, destroying buildings and facilities in the area.
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