Myanmar detains 273 foreigners from scam compounds on Thai border

Chinese believed to have been trafficked and trapped into working in online scam centres after they were rescued in Myawaddy district in eastern Myanmar on Feb 17, 2025. - AP

YANGON: Myanmar authorities detained 273 foreigners from scam compounds along the border with Thailand on Monday (Feb 17), as a senior Chinese official visited frontier towns on both sides in a widening crackdown on illegal online operations.

Hundreds of thousands of people trafficked by criminal gangs have been forced to work in scam compounds that have sprung up across South-East Asia, including the border between Thailand and Myanmar, the United Nations says.