India on Thursday began repatriating hundreds of citizens who fled to Thailand from a notorious cyber scam centre in Myanmar, with two military aircraft ferrying back 270 nationals, including 26 women, from the Thai border town of Mae Sot.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) operated two special flights to bring back the Indians, who crossed into Thailand from Myawaddy in Myanmar, where they were allegedly working in the cyber scam centre, the Indian embassy in Bangkok said on social media.
The Indian nationals were detained by Thai authorities for violating immigration laws by illegally entering the country, the embassy said. Photos posted on social media by the embassy showed the Indian nationals boarding C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft of the IAF at Mae Sot.
The Indian embassy in Bangkok and the consulate in Chiang Mai coordinated with agencies of the Thai government to facilitate the repatriation.
People familiar with the matter said more flights will be operated on Friday to bring back more Indian nationals from Thailand. According to reports in the Thai media, more than 450 Indians illegally crossed the border while fleeing the scam centre in Myanmar late last month.
The two aircraft that took off from Mae Sot on Thursday would fly to an Indian airbase in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, where they would be refuelled before flying to New Delhi. The Indian nationals include both victims who were lured to scam centres with promises of lucrative jobs and some people allegedly involved in running the scams, the people said on condition of anonymity.
{{/usCountry}}The two aircraft that took off from Mae Sot on Thursday would fly to an Indian airbase in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, where they would be refuelled before flying to New Delhi. The Indian nationals include both victims who were lured to scam centres with promises of lucrative jobs and some people allegedly involved in running the scams, the people said on condition of anonymity.
{{/usCountry}}The Indian nationals will be questioned on their return by investigative agencies to identify those allegedly involved in the scams, the people said. They will be allowed to go only after legal processes are completed, they added.
The Indian embassies in Thailand and Myanmar are working with their host governments to secure the “repatriation of those Indians who were allegedly involved in scamming activities and are still in Myanmar”, the mission in Bangkok said.
Indian nationals were advised to “verify the credentials of foreign employers, and check the antecedents of recruiting agents and companies, before taking up job offers overseas”. The embassy in Bangkok said visa-free entry into Thailand for Indian passport holders is “meant for tourism and short business purposes only, and should not be misused for taking up employment in Thailand”.
India last week began working with Thai authorities to repatriate its citizens who fled to Mae Sot from the Chinese-backed KK Park in Myawaddy township after a crackdown by Myanmar’s military.
A total of 1,595 people, including 256 women, crossed into Thailand from KK Park, and the largest group comprised 465 Indians, Bangkok Post reported, citing the Thai-Myanmar Border Command Centre in Tak province. This was followed by 220 Filipinos, 185 Chinese, 151 Vietnamese, and 130 Ethiopians, the report said.
Myanmar’s sprawling KK Park was a notorious compound where several Chinese criminal gangs operated transnational cyber scams. The compound was guarded by local militia groups with links to Myanmar’s military commanders.
In March this year, India brought back 549 nationals freed from cybercrime centres along the Myanmar-Thailand border in two flights operated by a military aircraft.