TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — As part of the Myanmar government's clampdown on scam compounds, 55 Taiwanese fraud suspects were repatriated to Taiwan on Wednesday.
To crack down on scam operations along the Thai–Myanmar border, Thai authorities in February implemented power cuts in five locations in Myanmar and requested assistance from Naypyitaw, per Liberty Times. Under international pressure, Myanmar began releasing thousands of foreign nationals, including Malaysians and Indonesians, who had been coerced into working at scam centers in Myawaddy, Kayin State.
These individuals were transferred to a shelter run by the Thai military at the border, where Thai authorities conducted investigations and identity verifications. On Feb. 19, seven Taiwanese nationals were among those identified.
With assistance from government agencies and overseas offices, the Taipei representative office in Thailand dispatched personnel to Mae Sot in western Thailand and repatriated five people who had been confirmed as victims. They were accompanied back to Taiwan by representatives from the Criminal Investigation Bureau's International Affairs Division and the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau.
In the latest operation, through an interagency coordination mechanism and with assistance from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Police Agency dispatched personnel to Thailand and Myanmar to advance investigations into transnational telecom fraud and human trafficking cases. The government has successfully brought back 55 Taiwanese nationals, including 51 men and four women, suspected of involvement in scams or of being trafficked.
Of these, 25 are wanted for other criminal cases. Upon arrival at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, the individuals were transferred to the CIB.
The CIB will interrogate all returnees to determine their legal status and whether they were complicit in fraud or victims of human trafficking. The wanted individuals will then be handed over to judicial authorities, and further investigations will determine whether the others were involved in further criminal activities.
