More than 200 foreign nationals rescued from scam centers in eastern Myanmar remain stranded along the war-torn country's border with Thailand, according to a local rebel group overseeing their repatriation.
For years, criminal networks have trafficked hundreds of thousands of people to scam compounds across Southeast Asia, including many along the Thai-Myanmar border, where victims are forced to work in illegal online schemes, according to the United Nations.
The Karen National Army, a rebel group that claims to have repatriated more than 8,000 foreign nationals after rescuing them from scam centers in Myanmar's Myawaddy area in recent months, said it was currently housing 216 people, including citizens of Vietnam, China, the Philippines, and Indonesia.
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