Thai girls and women are trapped in scam compounds in Cambodia and Myanmar, forced to work 18-hour days under abuse. Families are desperate, MPs demand accountability, police rescue operations continue, exposing Chinese mafia’s cross-border trafficking networks.
A Thai mother has called for urgent action as her daughter remains a slave in Cambodia. Ms. Nucharin’s 16-year-old was captured last June while seeking work in Sa Kaeo Province with her boyfriend. On Wednesday, Royal Thai Police debriefed a 29-year-old Malaysian woman who was smuggled into Myanmar three years ago and forced to work 18-hour days. Meanwhile, MP Rangsiman Rome demands public accountability from the interim government. On the same day, a young Thai woman died in Poipet after falling from a third-floor building in a city that is home to notorious scam centres. The festering sore of cross-border trafficking and scam centre compounds continues.
Ms. Nucharin, mother of a 16-year-old taken to Cambodia from Sa Kaeo in June 2024, pleaded for her daughter’s rescue last week. On Wednesday, Thai police debriefed a Malaysian woman held for three years by Chinese scammers, as a Thai woman fell to her death in Poipet, a known scam hub. (Source: Khaosod)
As pressure rises on criminal gangs in Myanmar and Cambodia, the suffering of captured or imprisoned victims is emerging. Reports from the Royal Thai Police confirm many victims were deceived or forcibly taken. Others joined voluntarily, but conditions in the compounds are harsh and abusive. Investigations link the operations to Chinese mafia bosses in Myanmar, Cambodia and parts of Laos.
Last week, a Thai mother, Ms. Nucharin, reported her 16-year-old daughter was trapped as a slave in Cambodia. She told the Mirror Foundation her daughter works 18 hours a day and receives substandard food. The teenager’s phone was confiscated shortly after crossing the border. Direct family contact ended immediately afterwards.
The Mirror Foundation is a Thai NGO that tracks girls and women lost to human trafficking, including sex work.
Mirror Foundation warns scam compounds are forcing victims into slave labour across Southeast Asia
Recent cases increasingly involve scam compounds linked to forced labour, exploitation, and human trafficking. Victims are often moved between locations to avoid detection and forced to commit illegal tasks.
On Wednesday, October 29, at 9 a.m., authorities reported a Thai woman fell from the third floor of a building in Poipet, Cambodia. She died instantly at the scene. Police are reviewing CCTV footage inside and outside the building. Residents reported hearing a loud crash and found the body on the ground. Cambodian authorities continue to investigate the building’s operations.
Earlier this year, a Thai man fell from a tall skyscraper in Poipet. Reports suggest he was dangled before the fall, adding to the terror of his execution by his captors. Authorities are investigating links between these incidents and scam operations.
Meanwhile, Royal Thai Police officers this week have been screening hundreds of rescued workers from Myanmar scam compounds. On October 29, immigration officials in Chiang Rai interviewed 29-year-old Malaysian Ms. Lam. She had been held captive for over three years in Myanmar.
Ms. Lam said she responded to a Facebook job post advertising waitress positions in Singapore. After that, her mother suffered a stroke, the family had exhausted their savings. Traffickers intercepted her in March 2022. She was transported through Mae Sot, Thailand, and smuggled into Myanmar. Before that, she was smuggled by human traffickers across the Thai-Malaysian border.
Ms Lam describes three years of captivity after being smuggled across Thailand from Malaysia
She was initially held at KK Park in Myawaddy, Karen State, known for cyber scam operations. Afterwards, she was denied contact with family and forced to participate in fraudulent investment schemes. She occasionally worked as a translator. She reported at least ten beatings for failing to meet quotas.
Miss Lam was later transferred to Huanya Park. In June 2025, captors moved her to a mountain facility. She was finally held in Tachilek, across the river from Mae Fah Luang District, Thailand. Captors demanded ฿200,000 ($6,200) for her release.
The Mirror Foundation coordinated with Thai authorities to negotiate her release. Between 4:00 and 5:00 a.m. on October 29, Myanmar military personnel escorted her into Thailand. She surrendered to immigration authorities and underwent screening by officials from the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security. Psychologists and social workers will later evaluate her and the Malaysian Embassy will arrange repatriation.
Victims of scam compounds face extreme working conditions, restricted contact, physical abuse, and forced labour. They are often moved repeatedly and witness beatings or deaths of other captives. Authorities found links between these facilities and casino operations. Investigations show organised crime profits from fraud and forced labour.
Victims of scam compounds endure abuse and forced labour linked to casinos and criminal networks
Ms. Nucharin’s daughter is reportedly held in a four-story grey building in Cambodia. She reports working 18 hours per day for rice resembling animal feed. Her boyfriend was last seen some weeks ago and has gone missing. She has not menstruated for two months, and her mother suspects she was already pregnant when they last spoke. Indirect contact with her daughter ended on October 3.
Political developments in Thailand are increasingly linked to the scam compound networks. Rangsiman Rome, MP, claimed on Wednesday that at least one cabinet minister and six politicians are connected to Cambodian scam centres. Authorities are investigating the network’s infiltration of parts of the Thai economy.
International pressure is increasing. NGOs and media are urging Thai authorities to accelerate rescues. Coordination among Thai police, military, and advocacy groups has proven effective. Ms. Lam’s case demonstrates that joint operations can achieve releases.
Authorities emphasise that victims require screening, medical care and psychological support. Thai police continue to interview rescued workers. Hundreds of individuals have been processed this year, with more rescues underway. Investigations focus on the financial and operational networks behind the compounds.
Police step up external liaison and monitoring to investigate scam networks exploiting job seekers
The Thai government advises citizens to verify job offers and avoid unregistered recruitment agencies. Cross-border intelligence sharing has intercepted traffickers and reduced captivity durations. NGOs assist in legal representation, shelter, and psychological support.
Traffickers target vulnerable individuals seeking employment abroad. They use online recruitment and false promises to lure victims. Captives face long hours, poor food, beatings, and constant surveillance. Families remain unaware of victims’ locations for months or years.
Dozens of scam compounds operate along the Thailand-Myanmar and Thailand-Cambodia borders. Many masquerade as legitimate businesses while conducting fraud, forced labour and trafficking. Thai authorities continue in their efforts to disrupt these facilities beyond the border. International cooperation remains critical to dismantle networks.
Investigations reveal traffickers move victims to avoid detection and force them to commit illegal activities. Physical punishment and psychological abuse are common. Some have certainly been murdered. These include a South Korean man held in Cambodia and a Belarusian woman captured in Myanmar. Vera Kravchova, 26, was murdered in recent weeks for her organs by a ruthlessly cruel Chinese-controlled gang.
Many facilities operate alongside casinos and cyber scam networks.
Cross-border scam compounds rely on abuse and deception to exploit workers and push their frauds
Ms. Lam’s rescue highlights the importance of negotiation, cross-border coordination, and intelligence. Authorities process victims at screening centres before repatriation. Psychologists and social workers evaluate survivors’ mental and physical condition.
Despite some rescues, most victims remain captive. Teenagers and young adults continue to be exploited in scam compounds. Survivors report malnutrition, beatings, forced labour, and prolonged fear. Families endure months or years without information. NGOs continue advocating for faster rescues and improved preventive measures.
The Royal Thai Police is investigating financial flows, criminal networks, and organisational hierarchies behind these operations. Victim testimony, law enforcement records, and CCTV footage should form the basis of prosecutions.
Of course, prosecutions of the ringleaders have not yet happened except where individuals are found exposed in Thailand. Thai authorities presently emphasise rapid screening of those returning from captivity in addition to international coordination. Of course, in the meantime, the same centres continue to prosper and indeed recruit new victims.
Cases in Cambodia and Myanmar continue. Poipet police on Wednesday investigated the death of another Thai woman. She fell from the third floor of a Poipet building. Police are reportedly reviewing building footage and witness reports.
Authorities in Myanmar and Thailand at this time are simply documenting abuses and attempting rescues where possible based on intelligence, contacts and often when ransoms are paid. Every rescued victim provides further intelligence on compound operations.
Coordinated investigations in Cambodia and Myanmar aim to dismantle human trafficking and scam operations
Ms. Lam’s safe transfer and ongoing investigations show coordinated action can achieve results. Screening centres provide immediate care, while embassies handle repatriation. Families remain informed throughout the process. Nonetheless, this is only scratching the surface.
The scandal continues unabated.
Undeniably, human trafficking in Southeast Asia involves deception, coercion, forced labour, and violence. At the same time, these scam compounds operate systematically across borders, fed by the activity. Meanwhile, authorities continue to rescue victims and investigate operations. Of course, they very raely hold traffickers accountable.
Certainly, there are fears that this is a circular activity. Indeed, a PR concession to satisfy a curious international media. Afterwards, the scam compounds regroup and come back even stronger. This happened already this year. This came following a Thai Chinese led crackdown in Myawaddy, Myanmar.
Cambodian scam centre mess in Thailand threatens to topple interim government sooner rather than later
Immigration Bureau confirms Belarusian national travelled through Thailand at Suvarnabhumi Airport
Deputy Minister of Finance Woraphak bows out after only 33 days amid furore over scammer centre claims
PM asks top minister for explanation as ex official claims Hun Sen started war to protect his scam centre industry
High powered, secretive meeting chaired by PM agrees robust action against Cambodian networks
Meanwhile, Ms. Nucharin still awaits news of her daughter, who disappeared with her boyfriend in June 2024. The 16-year-old was just seeking work. Instead, she has been subjected to human slavery, separated from her boyfriend and possibly worse.
The nightmare must stop, and that starts by exposing the truth of the corruption and protection that this evil enjoys in Bangkok and among some of the elite who significantly control the levers of power. Certainly, where there is a will, there is a way. The status quo must surely be intolerable to decent thinking people. What is happening is an outrage against humanity.
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Further reading:
Cambodian scam centre mess in Thailand threatens to topple interim government sooner rather than later
Deputy Minister of Finance Woraphak bows out after only 33 days amid furore over scammer centre claims
PM asks top minister for explanation as ex official claims Hun Sen started war to protect his scam centre industry
High powered, secretive meeting chaired by PM agrees robust action against Cambodian networks
Thailand and Cambodia face danger from ‘Dragon Head’ the Chinese mafia leader behind the scams
Cambodia lashes out at Anutin’s call to South Korean President Lee Jae-myung as internal interference
Cyber police and Money Laundering agency seek UK and US co-operation targeting Cambodian networks
United States, South Korea and United Kingdom act against Cambodian scam industry with Thai tie-ins
Ben Smith affair & allegations of links to Cambodian scam centres continues to rage in parliament
Police deny knowledge of scammer links with money whizz Ben Smith. People’s Party MP insists its certainly true
Defiant Rangsiman Rome warns he’s not just fighting a defamation case but for the future of Thailand
Ben Smith money fixer to the elite in Thailand lines up ฿100M defamation case against Rangsiman Rome
