On October 29, 2021, Labour Minister Mr. Suchart Chomklin assigned Assistant Minister from the Prime Minister’s Office performing duties for the Ministry of Labour Police Major General Nantachat Supamongkol, to visit the border checkpoint in Sa Kaeo Province together with security agencies to help Thai people affected by Chinese call center scam through Facebook which forced them to work illegally. The cases appeared on social media and television, showing Thai people deceived and forced to work illegally in Cambodia. The affected people asked for support from the Thai government in returning to Thailand through social media. For this case, Prime Minister and Minister of Defense General Prayuth Chan-ocha and Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan instructed the Ministry of Labour to urgently coordinate with relevant agencies to assist the Thai victims and expand the network on the relevant offenders.
Police Major General Nantachat said that the inspection found that such acts could be considered human trafficking, affecting the public’s safety in society. Initial assistance was coordinated with the Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh and Assistant Ambassador to the Thai Police in Cambodia. Efforts were able to help the 48 affected Thai people back safely. The business is headed by Chinese people, moving through many cities in Cambodia, including Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville, and Siem Reap. The perpetrators post job advertisements online on Facebook, pretending that there are jobs available in Cambodia paying high compensation rates of 20,000 – 30,000 Baht per month. If someone applies, they are employed and transported illegally through natural channels in and out of the country. The victims said that they had to walk through a nature path along the border crossing to Cambodia. After that, there was a car to pick them up, and they were quarantined at a hotel. Later, they were passed on to Chinese investors, forced to work in call center groups sending SMS to deceive Thai people. Many Thais were deceived into giving hundreds of millions of Baht in damage. After the victims realized that the job was not according to the agreement, both in terms of the nature of the role and the compensation, they requested a return trip that the employer rejected. The employer threatened to claim their property, put them in detention, starve them, and gave threats of physical harm. Therefore, they sought help from the Thai authorities, which led to their safe rescue.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Division of Public Relations
29 October 2021
