Indonesia repatriates over 500 freed Myanmar workers

Indonesia has started bringing home more than 500 of its citizens who were rescued from scam centers in Myanmar. These workers had been lured to Myanmar with promises of high-paying jobs but found themselves held hostage and forced to commit online fraud. Officials reported that many of these workers suffered violence and threats during their ordeal. The scam operations have been thriving in Myanmar's border areas, and many foreign workers, including about 7,000 from various countries, have been freed recently. Most of these workers are Chinese. On Tuesday, 400 Indonesians returned from Thailand, with another 154 expected to come back on Wednesday. Indonesian Minister Budi Gunawan stated that the government cooperated with Thailand and China to bring home these individuals, who were victims of large-scale online scamming. The rescued group included 449 men and 105 women, many from the town of Myawaddy near the Thai border. They reported experiencing severe abuse, including beatings and threats of organ removal. The first flight carrying 200 of the freed Indonesians landed in Jakarta on Tuesday morning. The government plans to release the final numbers once all individuals are processed. Previously, Indonesia had repatriated 140 nationals from Myanmar last month. Authorities in Myanmar, under pressure from China, have begun cracking down on these scam operations. Between 2020 and September of last year, Indonesia brought back over 4,700 citizens from several countries involved in similar scams. The United Nations estimates that around 120,000 people, mostly Chinese men, may still be working in these centers against their will.