Phumtham warns nearly 7,000 foreigners could flee Myanmar into Thailand

Thailand's Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai urges foreign governments to repatriate nearly 7,000 detained foreigners in Myanmar after call-centre scam crackdowns, warning of a potential mass exodus if swift action is not taken.

Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai announced on Tuesday that he had instructed the Foreign Minister to urgently engage with foreign governments to repatriate their citizens detained in Myanmar. This follows crackdowns on call-centre scam gangs operating in the region.

Phumtham stated that Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa must reach out to the respective foreign governments by Thursday at the latest to arrange the return of their detained citizens.

Crackdowns Lead to Mass Detentions

The minister’s comments come amid reports that Myanmar’s Border Guard Forces (BGF) have detained 6,500 foreigners following raids on call-centre scam operations in KK Park and Shwe Kokko, Myawaddy. Additionally, the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) is holding 401 more foreigners as part of its crackdown in its controlled territory.A security source in Thailand’s Tak province revealed that both the BGF and DKBA were urging foreign governments to take back their citizens promptly, as they lacked the resources and facilities to care for the detainees.

Concerns Over a Potential Mass Exodus

Expressing his concerns, Phumtham warned that if no action is taken, the situation could spiral out of control.

“I would like this to be resolved quickly. If nothing is done, the BGF and DKBA may struggle to handle the detainees and could end up releasing them all at once. If that happens, they will flee en masse like a swarm of bees,” he said.

He further highlighted that the natural terrain in the region provides numerous routes for detainees to sneak into Thailand, which could create significant security challenges.Thailand’s Stance on Foreign Detainees

Phumtham stressed that foreign governments must collaborate with Thailand to differentiate between scam victims and actual criminals. He reaffirmed that Thailand would not permit foreigners rescued from call-centre gangs to enter the country unless their home nations assured prompt repatriation.

Dismissing rumours, he denied reports that 310 Ethiopians rescued from call-centre gangs were being detained in a Thai army camp.

“Had they entered Thailand, they would have been deported back to their country,” he clarified.

China Leads in Repatriation Efforts

So far, China has repatriated over 600 of its citizens who were either captured or rescued from call-centre operations in Myanmar.

Phumtham also announced that a tripartite meeting between Thailand, China, and Myanmar would be convened soon to coordinate the return of the remaining Chinese detainees.

(2025/02/25-00:00)