Victims of scam centers who were tricked or trafficked into working in Myanmar, are stuck in limbo at a compound in Myawaddy, Myanmar, on Wednesday.
Southeast Asia's latest scam center crackdown
Here's a look at why the crackdown is happening now and the broader implications for relations between China, Thailand and Myanmar.
Multinational victims of scam centers, who were trafficked into working in Myanmar and were sent to Thailand, queue for food at a shelter as they wait for their embassies to pick them up, in Tak province, Thailand, on Feb. 19.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Feb 27, 2025
'Contemplated suicide': Ethiopians recount horror of Southeast Asia scam centers
The complexes have flourished across the region, often staffed by foreigners who are made to swindle people in what analysts say is a multibillion-dollar industry.
The border crossing near the Thai town of Aranyaprathet and the Cambodian town of Poipet
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Feb 23, 2025
Thai and Cambodian police free 215 foreigners in scam center raid
Hundreds of thousands of people have been trafficked by criminal gangs and forced to work in scam centers and illegal online operations across Southeast Asia.
Alleged scam center workers and victims from China, who were handed over from Myanmar, board a plane at Mae Sot Airport in Mae Sot in Thailand's Tak province on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Feb 21, 2025
China flies home first nationals from Myanmar ‘scam centers’
The repatriation is part of a multinational effort to stamp out the centers, a transnational criminal industry that has found havens in Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia.
Supporters watch archive footage of speeches by South Korean leader Yoon Suk Yeol on a screen near the Central District Court in Seoul on Thursday, as the ousted South Korean leader became the country's first sitting head of state to stand trial in a criminal case.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Feb 20, 2025
Ousted South Korean president sought to stop 'dictatorship,' lawyer says
Yoon Suk Yeol has has been behind bars since he was arrested last month on charges of insurrection.
Australia's spy chief, Mike Burgess, called for a greater effort to tackle the threat from extremism, especially among young people.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Feb 20, 2025
Australian spy chief warns of rising role of minors in terror
Almost all foiled terrorist attacks in Australia over the past year involved the radicalization of children, according to the spy chief's annual assessment.
Victims of scam centers, who were trafficked into working in Myanmar, wait for their embassies to pick them up in Tak province, Thailand, on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Feb 20, 2025
Myanmar scam center survivors recall torture and coercion
"I got a lot of punishments," said one man, who had cuts along his leg. "I received electric shocks every day."

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