Dozens of Indonesians are still in Thailand, waiting to be repatriated after being freed from forced labor in Myanmar. Others who have already returned home say they were lured by false promises into working for online scamming operations which generate billions of dollars each year.

Naypyidaw

Dozens of Indonesians are in the process of returning home from Thailand after being freed from forced labor in Myanmar. These individuals, who were lured by fraudulent job offers, ended up working for online scamming operations in Myanmar’s Miawadi region. The returnees have recounted experiences of being coerced into running deceptive investment schemes, often facing severe punishment if they failed to meet financial targets.

One Indonesian national, using the alias Susie, shared her harrowing experience. Initially enticed by a job advertisement for a position in Thailand, she found herself taken to a compound in Myanmar instead. Here, she was forced to act as an online scammer, under strict surveillance and the threat of violence. Those who failed to scam enough money were subjected to beatings or electrocution, creating a perilous environment.

The operations in the scam park are reported to be controlled primarily by Chinese gangs, utilizing utilities from Thailand. Thai authorities recently cut off essential resources to the area, resulting in the release of some captives, including Indonesians. However, approximately 525 Indonesians reportedly remain trapped, with officials estimating higher numbers due to undocumented cases. The ongoing civil war in Myanmar complicates law enforcement, as scam operations continue to evade closure, posing a continued risk for unsuspecting individuals.



Freed captives describe scam operations in Myanmar

To some, they were scammers. To their bosses, they were no more than slaves. These 84 Indonesians are finally back in their home country after being forced to work for months as online scammers in Myanmar. One of them is Susie, not her real name. She spent six months in Miawadi in a so-called scam park, a compound in which multiple fraud companies operate. Her ordeal began when she came across a job listing on Facebook advertising a customer service position at a logistics company supposedly in Thailand. A recruiter promised Susie that if the job wasn't as advertised, she would be brought back home. At the time, Susie felt reassured. But everything changed once she arrived at the compound, not in Thailand, but in Myanmar. When we got out of the car, there was a river below with a small boat waiting for us. We were escorted by soldiers. That's when I started thinking, what is this? Am I being sold? Am I going to be killed? Are they going to sell my organs? Those thoughts kept running through my mind. Inside this scam park, recruits were forced to run fraudulent investment schemes. They pretended to be attractive, successful individuals on social media, luring people into investing in a fake online business through a sham e-commerce website, like this. If scammers failed to generate US$10,000 per month, they were punished, beaten with metal objects or electrocuted. With guards everywhere and their passports confiscated by the company, escape seemed impossible. I was assigned to scam Indonesians. But I kept thinking, if I actually managed to trick someone, would I even be safe when I returned home? The truth always comes out. I decided I'd rather endure the punishments while looking for a way to escape Miawaddy. The scam park in Miawaddy is primarily run by Chinese gangs, using electricity and utilities from Thailand. Since February 5th, Thai authorities have cut off power, internet and fuel to the area, forcing some scam companies to cease operations and release their recruits, like the group of Indonesians who recently returned home. However, many of the hundreds of online scam operations in Miawaddy continue to thrive. According to Myanmar authorities, approximately 525 Indonesian citizens remain trapped in the scam park. Indonesian officials believe the actual number is much higher, as many victims remain undocumented. Our efforts must go beyond just rescuing and repatriating our citizens. The real challenge is enforcing the law and taking effective measures to prevent these crimes, including restricting the operations of these online scam syndicates. With Myanmar locked in an ongoing civil war, law enforcement is sporadic and ineffective. The scam syndicates continue to find ways to keep their operations running. Until stricter laws are in place and Myanmar authorities can enforce them, it is likely that more people will fall into the same trap.

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