BANGKOK, April 28 — A group of 15 Malaysian victims of job scams rescued from Myanmar will be repatriated on Tuesday, marking the fourth group to return home under the ongoing coordinated efforts between Malaysian and Thai authorities.
Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of Malaysia to Thailand, Bong Yik Jui, said the Malaysian Embassy in Thailand has confirmed that all victims’ identities have been verified in coordination with Thai authorities.
“This will be the fourth batch of Malaysian job scam victims rescued. Myanmar authorities are expected to deport the victims to Thailand via the Thailand-Myanmar Second Friendship Bridge in Mae Sot tomorrow morning.
“The group comprises victims aged between 19 and 43 years, including two women. They will be repatriated by land from Mae Sot to the Bukit Kayu Hitam Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security Complex via bus,” he told Bernama on Monday.
Bong said the repatriation process is being conducted in close collaboration between the Malaysian Embassy in Yangon, the Malaysian Embassy in Bangkok, and the Consulate General of Malaysia in Songkhla.
He said the embassy officers in Bangkok have assisted the victims in contacting their next of kin in Malaysia and in issuing temporary travel documents.
The bus is expected to reach Bukit Kayu Hitam on Wednesday evening, he added.
Since February, a total of 40 Malaysians, who fell victim to online scam syndicates in Myawaddy, Myanmar, have been successfully rescued and repatriated in two separate batches on February 24 and March 12.
In the most recent case on March 25, a group of 24 individuals aged between 19 and 37 years was repatriated via bus to Bukit Kayu Hitam.
On March 21, Thailand’s Foreign Ministry announced that a total of 4,895 individuals of various nationalities who had been rescued from alleged job scam syndicates in Myanmar have been repatriated to their home countries. — Bernama