By – People’s Radio Myanmar
August 1, 2026
On August 1, morning, eighteen Filipino managed to escape from a Chinese cyber scam center located in Kyauk Khat village, a territory controlled by the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) south of Myawaddy on the Thai-Myanmar border. They successfully crossed the border into Thailand.
The group, consisting of nine men and nine women, was intercepted by a joint patrol team. Members of the Ratchamanu Special Task Force and the Border Patrol Police Company 346 found them illegally crossing the border near Huai Nam Nak village in Phop Phra District, Tak Province.
According to reports, these individuals had reached out to civil society organizations that rescue human trafficking victims from scam syndicates, pleading for assistance nearly six months ago. Consequently, advocates have requested Thai authorities to screen them under the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) to determine if they are victims of human trafficking before pursuing any legal action against them.
Currently, Thai authorities have detained the 18 Filipinos for questioning due to their illegal entry outside of official border checkpoints. They are expected to be transferred to the Phop Phra Police Station for further legal processing.
