Over 160 Thai nationals detained at a front-line junta base in Laukkai, a town in northern Shan State’s Kokang that has been besieged by resistance forces, have been moved out of the direct line of fire, according to a volunteer aiding the operation.
“They have been moved from a military base to schools and hospitals, which are safer than the battlefield. But, there is a need to evacuate them to a safer place,” said the volunteer.
The Thais were lured into working for Chinese-run scam syndicates in Laukkai, a border town notorious for telecom scams, gambling websites and casinos. They were rescued by regime officials at the end of October following pressure from China over scams preying on its citizens. The regime, however, did not hand them over to Thai authorities, instead transporting the trafficked victims to the front-line base. Volunteers helping the Thais accused the regime of using them as human shields.
Volunteers claim that 164 Thai nationals were detained at the front-line base, though the regime insisted there were only 162.
Forty-one other Thai nationals stranded in Laukkai were evacuated to Kentung on Wednesday after being rescued by the United Wa State Army.
The Thai 3rd Army said the 23 men and 18 women were trafficked to work for Chinese-run scam syndicates in Laukkai. They will be repatriated to Thailand’s Mae Sai in Chiang Rai Province via the border town of Tachileik this week, Thai news outlets reported.
More syndicate victims from Vietnam, the Philippines and other countries remain trapped in Laukkai, according to volunteers.
“Many online scam businesses in Laukkai have closed. But some Chinese owners locked their compounds and gates when they fled. We heard there are people trapped inside the compounds,” said a volunteer.
The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) announced on Tuesday evening that it was preparing to attack Laukkai, the seat of the junta-appointed administrative body of Kokang Self-Administered Zone. The town is controlled by junta-affiliated Kokang militias.
Local people as well as Thai nationals trapped in Laukkai are concerned for their safety, said volunteers.
One volunteer said: “Continuous bombardment has inflicted psychological damage on Thai nationals. Armed troops are outside the town, so we can’t leave. We have managed to contact organizations in Chin Shwe Haw [to evacuate the Thai nationals], but we can’t get past the checkpoint [outside Laukkai].”
The regime and Kokang militias are treating Chinese citizens found in Kokang differently, sending them back to their home country, according to locals.
Thailand’s deputy police chief visited Myanmar on Nov 6 for talks with junta authorities to repatriate the Thai nationals. The two sides agreed to hand them over through China, but the junta has so far failed to implement the agreement, according to sources on the ground.
