MAE SOT — The whereabouts of some 20 Japanese nationals believed to have been present at a scam-operating center in eastern Myanmar are unknown, an ethnic armed group who conducted a search of the facility said Wednesday.
Of the 20 Japanese, 10 may be among the many foreigners who fled from the fraud base near Myawaddy, a town bordering Thailand, during Tuesday’s search, according to the ethnic group, which effectively controls the area.
The around 20 Japanese may be either involved in criminal organizations or victims of human trafficking who have been taken to other locations, the group, called the Border Guard Force, said.
The armed group has been conducting intensive searches of bases used for fraud operations since last week, and it continues to search for those who fled.
Since January, local armed groups including the Border Guard Force have taken into protective custody over 7,000 foreigners believed to have been confined at phone scam facilities, according to Thai authorities.
Such fraud centers were likely established by Chinese crime syndicates, with many foreigners forced to work there after arriving in Thailand to apply for what turned out to be fake job openings.
Others are likely to have traveled to Thailand knowing they would engage in fraud, while some crime syndicate members could be among the foreigners who have been taken into protective custody.
Since January, two Japanese youths have been rescued from scam call centers, according to Thai authorities. Tokyo has asked for efforts to locate and rescue an additional two Japanese nationals in Myawaddy, another source said.
The Japanese government has not received new information on Japanese citizens being detained or rescued, its top spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said Wednesday, adding that it views the situation as a “serious” matter.
“We have been coordinating closely with investigative authorities overseas including those of Thailand and Myanmar to gather information on the situation,” Hayashi told reporters in Tokyo.
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