Turkiye says Ukraine-Russia talks should involve ‘both sides’

BANGKOK: Thousands of foreigners freed from online scam-operating centers in Myanmar are stuck in limbo on the border with Thailand after a multinational crackdown on the compounds run by criminal gangs, three sources told Reuters on Monday.
In recent weeks, authorities from China, Thailand and Myanmar have attempted to dismantle scam centers and illegal online operations on the border, part of a network of illegal compounds across Southeast Asia where hundreds of thousands have been trafficked by gangs, according to the United Nations.
Thai and Cambodian police raided a building in a border town and freed 215 foreigners, a senior Thai official said on Sunday.
Two Myanmar armed groups – the Karen National Army (KNA) and the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) – are currently holding around 7,000 former scam center workers but are unable to send them to Thailand, a Thai security official and two aid workers said.
“Many are stuck in limbo and Thailand’s lack of response is causing great harm,” said one of aid workers, currently on the Thai side of the border. “It is like these victims are being revictimized again.”
Thailand’s foreign ministry said that agencies are currently planning for future handovers of those freed, which would “proceed based on the readiness of the embassies or the countries of origin.”
KNA and DKBA officials did not respond to calls from Reuters.
The majority of these workers are Chinese, with about 1,000 from other foreign countries, according to the aid workers.
Many of the former scam center workers are being held in dire conditions and local authorities are concerned about the lack of sanitation and health facilities, they said.
Thai Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said last Thursday that Thailand doesn’t have the capacity to accept more people unless foreign embassies repatriate those crossing over.
Thailand this month accepted 260 scam center workers, more than half of whom were from Ethiopia, which has no embassy in the country.
Thai authorities also allowed China to repatriate 621 of its nationals via a series of flights from a border town last week.
Scam centers have been operating in the region for years, but face renewed scrutiny after the rescue of Chinese actor, Wang Xing, who was lured to Thailand with the promise of a job, and then abducted and taken to one such center in Myanmar.
Southeast Asian countries have since stepped up efforts to tackle scam centers, including Thailand cutting power, fuel and Internet supply to areas linked with scam centers.
Since March 2022, financial losses incurred by victims of telecom scams in Thailand alone stand at 80 billion Thai baht ($2.4 billion), Thai Police Col. Kreangkrai Puttaisong told reporters on Monday.

WELLINGTON: New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters will touch down in Beijing on Tuesday for a three-day visit as relations between the two countries are strained after Chinese Navy vessels conducted live firing exercises in the Tasman Sea.
New Zealand and Australia officials said that China had conducted live-fire exercises in international waters between the two nations, giving little notice and forcing commercial airlines to divert flights. The three ships are currently around 280 nautical miles (519 km) east of Tasmania, outside of Australia’s exclusive economic zone, the New Zealand Defense Force said on Monday.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said on Monday the limited notice that China had given that it would undertake live firing exercise would be raised in Beijing.
“There is nothing illegal here in terms of they are compliant with international law,” said Luxon. “The issue for us is ... we’d appreciate a little bit more advance notice particularly on what is a busy air route.”
China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Peters’ visit to China is part of a trip that includes stops in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, Mongolia and South Korea. In Beijing he will hold talks with senior Chinese leaders, including Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Peters said last week in a statement he would discuss with Chinese officials the bilateral relationship, as well as Pacific, regional, and global issues that are of interest to both countries.
“China is one of New Zealand’s most significant and complex relationships, encompassing important trade, people-to-people, and cultural connections. We intend to maintain regular high-level political dialogue with China,” Peters said.
Peters has also voiced concerns that the Cook Islands, an independent country in free association with New Zealand, had signed a comprehensive strategic partnership and other agreements with China, without satisfactorily consulting with New Zealand.
Jason Young, Director of the New Zealand Contemporary China Research Center at Victoria University in Wellington, said while questions around challenging issues such as the Cook Islands deal and the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s activities in the Tasman Sea would be asked, there would also be discussion around further high-level visits and trade.