A Chinese national who was freed from a border scam compound has died in the custody of the junta-aligned Karen State Border Guard Force (BGF) while awaiting repatriation, BGF spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Naing Maung Zaw told The Irrawaddy.
The man died on Wednesday due to chronic liver problems, he said. He had worked at a scam center in KK Park south of Myawaddy Township in Karen State on the Thai border.
Lt-Col Naing Maung Zaw said: “He had been suffering from liver problems for some seven months and had a distended abdomen. He arrived in Myanmar four months ago. He mentioned that he entered Myanmar through illegal routes from China to Vietnam, Vietnam to Thailand, and finally from Thailand to Myanmar.” He did not explain how he got to Thailand from Vietnam.
Some of the foreign detainees freed from scam compounds are in poor health and are being kept separately to receive medical care, said Naing Maung Zaw. They are prioritized on the repatriation list, but there have been delays in their home countries’ arrangements to receive them, causing further complications, he said.
Nearly 5,000 Chinese citizens have been freed from scam centers in Myawaddy town, Shwe Kokko and KK Park during the crackdown, but China has only accepted 621 of them so far, said Naing Maung Zaw.
“We cannot treat them like prisoners or confine them. Over time, they have become more demanding, asking when they will be sent back and causing disruptions for the security personnel. There have also been frequent fights among them. They are in a state of considerable agitation and security personnel have to be very careful.”
The BGF has deployed around 2,000 security guards for fear that the foreign detainees might attempt to escape. Language barriers in explaining the situation to the agitated foreigners aren’t helping, either, said Naing Maung Zaw.
The daily expenses for food, round-the-clock operation of diesel generators to supply electricity, transportation, and other miscellaneous costs amount to over 200 million kyats (over US$95,000), he said. “The meal and general expenses for a Chinese individual costs more than 30,000 kyats a day,” a Karen source told The Irrawaddy.
The source said China is apparently trying to teach the BGF a lesson by deliberately delaying the repatriation process. The BGF is struggling after Thailand cut off its cross-border supply of electricity, fuel and other necessities to areas under the group’s control.
The BGF claims to have “rescued” over 8,700 foreigners since it launched raids on scam parks two weeks ago. It has reportedly verified the citizenship of 7,141 foreigners hailing from 28 countries, 4,680 of whom are from China.
