Five Malaysians rescued from Myanmar expected home by Wednesday

Five Malaysian job-seekers, who claimed to have been duped into going to Myanmar and forced to work as cyber scammers, have been rescued and are now awaiting deportation in Bangkok.

Acting on information from Teruntum assemblyman Sim Chon Siang and others, a team from the Thai Army went into KK Gardens in Myawaddy, Myanmar, last Feb 3 and rescued Adam Iskandar Tukiman, 20, Akmar Hamsan, 19, Kamil Abd Hamid, 25, Nur Fitriani Abdullah, 19, and Lee Zhi Cong, who were being held there.

They are expected to arrive in Malaysia the latest by Feb 15, after undergoing the necessary procedures.

One other Malaysian, whose name is being withheld for his safety, has still not been rescued. He was supposed to escape last Tuesday, but failed to make it to the rendezvous point across the river, where the Thai authorities were waiting.

Sim, who has been instrumental in securing the release of 91 Malaysians in Cambodia and Thailand, said the 33-year old man had been forced to work for a scamming ring based in KK Garden, a huge compound that hosts multiple companies. It is located along the Moei River in the Thai border town of Mae Sot.

"It is learned that he has been here for over a year, and he was badly treated and beaten. Perhaps he is sick and cannot cross the river. We hope he can be saved in two or three days. They (Thai Army) are working to locate him," he said.

Sim, who was in Thailand to help repatriate the victims from Myanmar, said it would be his last trip to rescue trafficked Malaysians. Bangkok-based Malaysian businessman Wong, who is also known as Muhammad Shaifuddin Lai Abdullah, has been helping him with information and support.

As of Jan 27, the Malaysian police have received 262 reports of 336 Malaysians who fell for job scams and are now held in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.

However, Sim said the number is likely to be an underestimate as victims he rescued reported more than 1,000 Malaysians were still being held in KK Garden.

He also said most of the scam victims from Malaysia tend to be Chinese, but the focus seems to have shifted to recruiting Malays and Indians as well. According to reports, many of the centres seem to have links to Chinese businessmen.

Like other victims before them, Adam and his friends, who have secondary school level education at the most, said they were recruited to work at a hotel in Singapore or Bangkok, Thailand, for US$1,100 a month (MYR4,735), only to end up smuggled into Myanmar.

"At that time, my mother happened to be unwell, so I wanted a job that pays well," said Adam when asked why he agreed to follow his friend.

His father is a grass-cutter, while his mother, who is blind, is a housewife. He is the sixth of 11 siblings.

Adam said they had to work from 8 am to midnight encouraging people on Facebook to click on malicious links and would be punished, and sometimes beaten, If they failed to meet their quota.

Victims have reported worse treatment, such as starvation and torture, at the hands of supervisors at the scamming centres.

One of them is Goi Zhan Feng, a 23-year-old Malaysian who was lured to Bangkok through a love scam and ended up in Myanmar in January 2022 where he was beaten and died of his injuries four months later.

While most of the cases involving Malaysians and trafficking seemed to be in Cambodia, Myanmar has been gaining popularity as a hub for illegal activity, thanks to COVID-19 and the political instability in Myanmar.

Sim said more Malaysians will fall for job scams and love scams, and be trafficked to another country unless something is done to increase awareness.

"Don't fall for the lucrative offers of pay or love," he added.

-- BERNAMA