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Embassies Urged To Work with Police To Combat Scam Rings

The Royal Thai Police (RTP) is launching an international coordination center to collaborate with foreign embassies to prevent foreign nationals from joining scam gangs in Myanmar.

Pol Gen Thatchai Pitaneelaboot, the RTP inspector-general, stated that the center will enhance cooperation between Thai police and foreign embassies in tackling call center scams.

This initiative is particularly focused on Mae Sot district in Tak, a key transit point for individuals involved in illicit activities in Myawaddy, Myanmar.

“I believe this effort will help reduce the number of foreigners crossing the border into Myanmar through Mae Sot,” he said.

On Friday, Pol Gen Thatchai, in his role as director of the Anti-Human Trafficking Center and Thailand’s Action Taskforce for Information Technology Crime Suppression, chaired a meeting with representatives from 16 countries whose citizens are at high risk of being recruited by scam operations in Myawaddy.

Ambassadors and diplomats from Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Tanzania, the Philippines, Malaysia, China, Brazil, the United States, Morocco, India, Kenya, Ukraine, Bangladesh, and Russia attended the meeting.

Also present were representatives from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

Earlier, National Police Chief Pol Gen Kittharath Punpetch implemented stringent measures to prevent foreign criminals from entering Thailand.

These measures include stricter checks at airports and border checkpoints, increased monitoring of accommodations and tourist sites, investigations into travel routes and safe houses, and enhanced border security operations.

To achieve more concrete results, international agencies have also been involved in these efforts.

“Embassies have expressed strong support for Thailand’s efforts to strengthen cross-border law enforcement cooperation and combat illegal border crossings,” said Pol Gen Thatchai.

The international coordination center will facilitate real-time data sharing and rapid communication between Thai police and international agencies.

“I urge all embassies to participate in the coordination center to eliminate call center scam gangs. The RTP will hold regular meetings to assess the situation and move forward with setting up the center, starting immediately,” Pol Gen Thatchai said.

To prevent foreigners from seeking employment in Myanmar’s call center scams, authorities must first stop them from entering Mae Sot, he said. However, he acknowledged that this is a challenging task.

Despite official warnings, many still use Mae Sot as an entry point, hoping to secure high-paying jobs with call center gangs or online gambling operators in Myanmar.

In reality, many are deceived and end up working for criminal networks, he said.

“They arrive without a proper travel itinerary,” he said. “Because authorities have no background information on them, we don’t know whether they’ve been deceived or are willingly engaging in criminal activities.”

This lack of information led to the creation of the international coordination center. The center will allow authorities to contact embassies whenever their citizens arrive in Mae Sot without a clear travel itinerary.

Foreign embassy staff can then reach out directly to their nationals to warn them against illegally crossing the border or engaging in illicit work.

When asked whether the center would assist in rescuing individuals who have already crossed into Myanmar, Pol Gen Thatchai said such cases must be handled through border coordination committees and Myanmar authorities.

Regarding China’s recent collaboration with Thai police on similar issues, he expressed confidence that the situation would improve with increased intelligence sharing.

“We cannot take direct action in Myawaddy, so international coordination is our only option,” he said.

Preventive measures are also being implemented in other high-risk border areas, including Kanchanaburi, Surin, and Chiang Rai.

Additionally, police are considering enforcing stricter entry conditions for Mae Sot under Sections 11 and 15 of the Immigration Act, he added.