50 Pakistanis among 215 rescued in Thai-Cambodian raid on cyber scam centre

Thai and Cambodian authorities have rescued 215 foreign nationals in a major raid on a suspected cyber scam centre in the Cambodian border town of Poipet, a senior Thai official said on Sunday.

The operation, conducted in Banteay Meanchey province, freed 109 Thais, 50 Pakistanis, 48 Indians, five Taiwanese, and three Indonesians, according to Thai government spokesman Jirayu Houngsub.

"This is the largest number of Thais freed from a building suspected of cyber fraud for the two countries," Jirayu said, adding that the raid was part of a joint effort between Thailand and Cambodia to combat cybercrime syndicates.

The United Nations has estimated that criminal networks have trafficked hundreds of thousands of people across Southeast Asia, forcing them into scam operations that generate billions of dollars annually.

The crackdown on scam centres has intensified following the recent rescue of Chinese actor Wang Xing, who was lured to Thailand with the promise of a job but was abducted and taken to a scam centre in Myanmar.

Regional governments have ramped up efforts to dismantle these operations. Earlier this month, Thailand cut power, fuel, and internet supplies to areas along the Thai-Myanmar border linked to scam centres. China has also repatriated 621 of its nationals who were rescued from such centres, the Thai army said on Saturday.