More than 5,300 people remain trapped in online scam centres near Myanmar's border with Thailand, over a year after a multinational crackdown freed thousands from similar operations [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. These centres operate within areas controlled by Myanmar militia groups, including the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
Among those detained are approximately 1,600 Chinese nationals, 200 Myanmar citizens, 20 Thai nationals, and individuals from the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brazil, Russia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and Zimbabwe [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. The scam centres conduct large-scale illegal online schemes worldwide that generate billions of dollars annually, according to the United Nations [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
Thailand led a regional crackdown in 2025 that rescued roughly 5,000 people from scam hubs in Myanmar's Myawaddy area, but substantial illegal scam operations continue to operate in these militia-held zones [1, 3, 4, 5]. Rescuing detainees is difficult due to the centres’ location inside militia-controlled territory [1, 5]. Attempts to get comments from DKBA officials and Myanmar military-backed government representatives were unsuccessful [1, 3, 4, 5].
Many of the people detained are foreign nationals trafficked by criminal gangs and subjected to severe abuse, including torture, sexual exploitation, forced abortions, and food deprivation, the UN said [2]. UN Human Rights chief Volker Turk called the abuses “staggering and at the same time heart-breaking,” noting victims often face disbelief, stigma, and further punishment instead of protection and justice [2].
CSNHTV, a rights group, said on June 22 that many scam compounds near the border have not been dismantled or rescued. Its statement said, “As a result, these syndicates continue to engage in online fraud and human trafficking, causing harm to victims around the world, particularly in the United States and Europe” [1].
On June 23, human rights groups publicly disclosed updated figures of more than 5,300 people still held in these centres [2, 3, 4, 5]. CSNHTV recently sent a letter urging Thai police to take action to rescue the remaining victims from the DKBA-controlled scam centres [1, 5].
