BANGKOK (AFP) – Myanmar handed over 84 Indonesians to Thailand yesterday, local officials said, the latest group of alleged scam centre workers set to be repatriated from the region.
Around 70 men and 14 women crossed from Myawaddy to the Thai town of Mae Sot yesterday at around noon (0500 GMT), passing through Thai immigration before being handed off to Indonesian embassy officials.
“They are heading to Bangkok,” a Thai official who asked not to be named told AFP, adding that “they will probably fly back tomorrow or the following day”.
He said they had been released from illegal cyberscam centres, which have proliferated on the Thai-Myanmar border in recent years. Myanmar’s junta government said in a statement yesterday that 84 Indonesian nationals were handed over through Thailand, without providing further comment.
Last week, about 600 Chinese nationals were deported in a similar manner from Myanmar and flown back to China via Thailand, following a visit to the Thai-Myanmar border by a Chinese public security official.
Thailand, China and Myanmar are expected to hold three-way talks to discuss logistics for further repatriations of thousands of scam centre workers being held by border militias in Myanmar.
