125 Indian nationals repatriated from Thailand via IAF flights

At least 125 Indian nationals were repatriated from Mae Sot in Thailand to India on Wednesday on a special Indian Air Force IAF flight reported the IANSAccording to the Indian Embassy in Bangkok this latest group brings the total number of Indians rescued from scam centres in Myanmarrsquos Myawaddy and repatriated via Thailand since March to 1500The Indian Embassy in Bangkok and the Consulate in Chiang Mai coordinated closely with Thai government agencies and officials in Tak Province to ensure the safe return of the stranded Indians These individuals had reportedly been trapped in cyberscam operations run from compounds in Myanmar as per the IANSThe Embassy has strongly advised Indian citizens to verify job offers abroad check the background of recruiters and avoid misusing visafree entry into Thailand which is permitted only for tourism and short business visitsOn Tuesday 269 Indian nationals including 11 women were also repatriated from Mae Sot on two special IAF flights following similar coordination between Indian and Thai authorities Last week another 197 Indians were flown back to India in the same mannerThe repatriation effort received direct attention from Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul who visited Mae Sot to review operations During a meeting with Indiarsquos Ambassador to Thailand Nagesh Singh he expressed appreciation for Indiarsquos swift efforts and assured continued support from Thai authorities in repatriating Indian nationals released from Myanmarrsquos scam centres according to the IANSIn an earlier operation India had earlier this month repatriated 270 of its nationals from Thailand on two IAF transport aircraft days after they fled to the Thai border town of Mae Sot from a notorious cyber scam centre in Myanmar following a government crackdown reported the PTIAround 500 Indians were among 1500 people from 28 countries who crossed into Thailand late last month after authorities raided KK Park a major cybercrime hub in Myawaddy area of MyanmarThe Indian Embassy in Bangkok said that the Thai government facilitated the return of the 270 Indians mdash including 26 women mdash from Mae Sot to India via two special IAF flights according to the PTIThe Indians had been detained by Thai authorities for violating immigration laws after entering the country illegallyFurther repatriation flights are expected on Friday to bring back the remaining stranded IndiansThe Indian embassies in Thailand and Myanmar are working with local authorities to secure the release and return of those still in Myanmar many of whom are believed to have been involved mdash willingly or otherwise mdash in cyber scamming operations as per the PTIThe Indian mission has also cautioned citizens against falling prey to fraudulent overseas job offers urging them to verify the credentials of employers and recruitment agents before accepting employment abroadThe Indian mission reminded the travellers that visafree entry into Thailand is strictly for tourism and short business trips and must not be misused for employment purposesThe two IAF aircraft are scheduled to land in New Delhi with a brief stopover in the Andaman Islands On arrival the repatriated Indians will be questioned by authorities to understand how they were recruited and drawn into the scam network the news agency reportedOfficials said some of those who fled were victims of human trafficking while others had taken part in running the cybercrime operationsAccording to a UN report thousands of trafficked individuals from multiple countries have been coerced into online fraud across Myanmar Cambodia Laos the Philippines and Malaysia with such operations often linked to transnational criminal networks as per the PTIwith IANS and PTI inputs