African scam workers nearly clashed with armed Karen fighters in Myawaddy

Tensions flared on the Myanmar-Thai border as a group of 275 rescued foreign scam workers, mostly from Ethiopia and other African nations, nearly clashed with armed Karen fighters while demanding to be returned home.

The group, part of a larger rescue operation in February targeting call centre compounds in Myanmar’s Myawaddy township, has been held in a squalid, overcrowded temporary camp for over two months. Facing dire conditions, including limited food, medicine, and space, the migrants staged a protest over the weekend, calling in English: “We don’t fight but we want to return home. Please release and send us to Tak province, Thailand.”

The protest quickly escalated. The group, carrying their bags, attempted to leave the camp and head towards the Thai border. Armed members of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), who control the area, confronted them. Heated arguments broke out, and the situation teetered on the edge of violence, with threats of weapons being drawn.

DKBA forces eventually defused the standoff, promising to hand the group over to Myanmar junta authorities on 18 April, allowing them to begin formal repatriation.

Meanwhile, Thai military units remain on alert along the Mae Sot border, enforcing tight controls to prevent illegal crossings. Senior Thai officers reiterated that over 8,000 scam victims have already been repatriated through official channels. Any unauthorised border crossings, they warned, will result in prosecution.

The Thai government maintains that delays in the repatriation process lie with the migrants’ home countries, many of which are not yet prepared to receive them.

Back in February, Thailand took a hardline stance against scam operations by cutting off electricity, internet, and fuel supplies to three Myanmar border townships, including Myawaddy. The move was aimed at disrupting transnational criminal gangs operating call centres and trafficking rings in the area.

For the rescued workers, however, the wait for safe return continues — trapped between armed militias, unliveable conditions, and bureaucratic inertia.

-2025-04-15