Ninety-Nine Thai Held Captive by Chinese Gang Rescued

On Thursday ninety-nine Thai citizens were rescued in Phnom Penh, Cambodia after they were conned and forced into working illegally. They were held in a building by a Chinese gang.

The rescue operation was conducted by Cambodian authorities, the Royal Thai Police, and also the Royal Thai Embassy officials in Cambodia.

According to Combodia news media, the officials surrounded the building where the Thai citizens were being held captive. Furthermore, the building was being guarded by almost 50 Chinese nationals.

Officials were able to arrest almost 40 Chinese gang members and also rescue 99 Thais from the building.

All of the Thai citizens are to be returned to Thailand through the border checkpoint in Sa Kaeo. They will then be quarantined for 14 days, before being allowed to return home.

The rescue came after the Royal Thai Police, the Anti Human Trafficking Centre, and the Children Women and Families Protection group sent investigators to locate the building where the captive Thai citizens were being held.

Thai citizens duped by job recruiters

A Cambodian news source said that most of the Thai victims were deceived by other Thais recruiting people for well-paying positions in Cambodia. The Thai were offered positions for online gambling promotions and online marketing. One victim told police they learned about the jobs through Facebook.

A Chinese gang of traffickers allegedly led the Thai victims across the border from Khok Sung district in Sa Kaeo illegally and then transported them to Phnom Penh by minivan. When they arrived at the building, they were locked up and forced to sign a contract.

On an ongoing basis, the Thai citizens were detained in the building which was guarded by the Chinese gang.

The victims received a salary only for the first month. Those who refused to work were assaulted, handcuffed, or left starving for days. All of the victims were also reportedly forced to lure their friends to work for the same operation or invest with them.

Each victim was expected to make high earnings with a monthly target of 1-2 million baht. Those who failed to meet the target were beaten or tasered. Some were abducted or even sold to other gangs.

So far, police are expanding their investigation in the hope of saving other victims. The Royal Thai Police believe there could be hundreds more.

Police have further warned Thais citizens wanting to apply for well-paying jobs abroad to check with the government of Thailand’s Labour Ministry and above all follow necessary regulations to avoid becoming a victim of human trafficking.

Source: Bangkok Post