At least 20 Kenyans are among more than 5,300 people trapped in online scam centres operating near Myanmar’s border with Thailand, according to a human rights group report.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

The Civil Society Network for Human Trafficking Victim Assistance (CSNHTV) said in a June 22 letter to Thai police that African nationals, including Kenyans, Ugandans, Rwandans and Zimbabweans, are being held at four sites inside militia-controlled areas in Myanmar.

In addition, the group estimates that the victims include about 1,600 Chinese nationals, 200 Burmese citizens, 20 Thais and other foreign nationals from several countries.

The report indicated that many of the affected individuals were trafficked into the compounds, known as Tai Chang, by criminal networks and forced to work in illegal online scam operations that defraud victims globally and generate billions of dollars annually as estimated by the United Nations.

📌 What You Need to Know

In recent years, Kenyans have faced entrapment into these scam centres in Southeast Asia, a persistent issue that has raised concerns among authorities and rights groups.

Many of the Kenyans trapped in the compounds are reported to have been lured by recruitment agents promising well-paying jobs abroad, only to be held captive and forced into carrying out online fraud.

According to the State Department for Diaspora Affairs, at least 357 Kenyans escaped or were rescued from scam compounds in Burma between October 2025 and January 2026, with 253 of them subsequently repatriated.

In March, officials indicated that more than 100 Kenyans were still believed to be trapped, while 39 others were serving prison sentences in Myanmar for immigration-related offences.

Thai authorities have been urged to take further action to dismantle remaining compounds and rescue those still trapped, saying some facilities have not yet been targeted despite previous enforcement operations.

The report comes more than a year after Thailand led a regional crackdown that freed about 5,000 people from similar scam hubs in Myanmar’s Myawaddy area.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke