Thailand strengthens border checks to fight human trafficking and scams

Thai immigration police have tightened the screening of foreigners who frequently exit and return to Thailand and on those who pick up passengers at domestic airports and take them to neighboring countries, such as Myanmar and Cambodia, in a bid to stop human trafficking and scamming operations which use Thailand as a transit point or operating base.

Pol Maj-Gen Panthana Nutchanart, deputy commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, said today that Chinese nationals living in Thailand who frequently leave and return to the country will be kept under especially close watch.

He said that records of exits and re-entries of these foreigners will be kept on a “watch list” for further investigation, to determine whether they are actually involved in illegal activities, such as call centres or human trafficking.

Many Chinese citizens, and people of several other nationalities, have reportedly been duped into working in call centres, especially in Myanmar, by Chinese organised crime gangs using Thailand as a transit point.

Recently, Chinese actor Wang Xing, stage name ‘Xingxing’, was lured by a false offer of a casting session for a Thai TV series. He ended up being trafficked across the border into Myawaddy township in Myanmar. Only swift action by the Thai police, in response to an alert from his girlfriend and the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok, ensured that he was safely returned to Thailand and then back to his home.

In addition to operating call centres in Myanmar and Cambodia, Chinese organised crime groups also operate mobile call centres on Thai soil, by installing SIM boxes and mobile cell transmitters in cars, travelling to various crowded areas while sending short messages to potential victims.

Panthana said that there have been cases of Chinese nationals setting up call centres in Thailand and then leaving the country to supervise their operations from abroad.