BANGKOK – The Immigration Bureau in Thailand has rejected claims from a Reuters investigation that suggested Thai officials were involved in kidnapping people who ended up working in scam call centres across the border in Myanmar.
Reuters released a detailed graphic report called “Scammed into Scamming”. It drew from interviews with nine people from Africa and Asia who were trafficked to scam centres in Myanmar between 2022 and 2025.
Six of them described being accompanied through Bangkok’s airports by what they believed were immigration officials. They said they were then taken by road to Myanmar, with their final stop being the KK Park site in Myawaddy.
The report also quoted Lindsay Kiptiness, Kenya’s ambassador in Thailand. He has been actively helping hundreds of Kenyans escape from scam centers. He told Reuters that many victims described having been escorted by officials at Thai airports.
In a similar account, “Oly,” a 39-year-old IT consultant from East Africa, stated that he arrived in Thailand from Ethiopia in November of last year. He claimed that immigration officers handed him over to people who said they worked for a hotel at the airport. Instead of reaching his hotel in Bangkok, he was taken to the border, then forced to work at KK Park.
On Saturday, the Thai immigration police issued a statement. They said Reuters had misrepresented the facts and made false claims.
Immigration Entry Denials
Pol Maj Gen Choengron Rimpadee, who leads Immigration Division 2, said he reviewed all travellers arriving in Thailand in November 2024 with names similar to “Oly”. Out of 62 results, only two were African nationals: a Ugandan man who flew into Phuket and a Kenyan woman who arrived from Dubai. There were no Ethiopian nationals on record.
He added that new checks were put in place from January. People from high-risk countries for trafficking now need to show valid visas, return flights, travel plans, and proof of accommodation. Since then, police have denied entry to 16,538 travellers.
He also called out the doubtful parts of the report, pointing out that hotel staff cannot reach restricted airport baggage areas without a special pass. Even immigration officers need proper clearance to go there.
Pol Maj Gen Choengron also criticized Reuters for its reporting, referencing a BBC documentary, “Dark Side of Paradise”, which also showed Thailand as a centre for organized crime.
Ambassador Kiptiness said he had already shared detailed information about the kidnappings with Thai authorities but had not heard back.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded that they had not received reports regarding the allegations but were ready to look into any credible information or evidence.
Scam Call Centres in Myanmar
Since the 2021 military coup in Myanmar, border areas near Thailand, such as Myawaddy and KK Park, have turned into hubs for scam call centres, pulling in billions every year. Behind the gates of these secure compounds, which often pose as luxury resorts, thousands of people are trapped and forced to scam others online.
The UN estimates more than 120,000 people in Myanmar alone are caught up in these schemes, often running romance scams tied to fake cryptocurrency investments. Workers face routine violence, threats and, in extreme cases, torture if they fail to meet targets. Experts say these operations are responsible for up to $64 billion in global fraud each year.
The businesses grow unchecked amid Myanmar’s ongoing conflict. The army’s weak hold on these areas lets syndicates work across loose borders, with help from corrupt partners. Most of these scams are run by Chinese criminal groups, estimated at around 30 to 40 gangs.
They lure people with fake job ads online, then traffic victims from Asia, Africa, and beyond, mainly through Thailand. Local groups like the Karen Border Guard Force, headed by Saw Chit Thu, and the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army take bribes to protect these centres, turning their own land into safe zones for traffickers.
Myanmar’s leaders turn a blind eye or quietly support the groups to keep their funding going, even as they announce rare crackdowns. Recent joint efforts by several countries, including police raids on Thailand’s borders in 2025 and the return of victims from China, have freed thousands of people.
Many, however, are still being held in these guarded camps. As authorities put on more pressure, some operations are shifting into cities like Yangon or areas controlled by the military. The ongoing unrest keeps feeding this web of trafficking and online fraud, leaving many victims still waiting for help.
