PM urged to rescue Moroccans trapped by human trafficking gang

A anti-human trafficking organization urgently called Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin to help 21 Moroccan citizens trapped by a gang of crooks on the border between Thailand and Myanmar. This plea comes after months of inaction from various agencies.

Exodus Road, a leading anti-human trafficking association, revealed that the Moroccan embassy in Bangkok had requested assistance on behalf of the victims. The embassy contacted several agencies, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Royal Thai Army, the Special Investigation Department and the Myanmar embassy in Bangkok, through an official letter in mid-May.

In the absence of progress, Exodus Road decided to take the matter to the Prime Minister. A source revealed that the Moroccans were deceived by a Chinese transnational crime syndicate, which promised them jobs in the e-commerce sector in Thailand with a starting salary of around $1,000 (36,730 baht) per month .

Upon arrival in Thailand in February, the group was forcibly taken to Hpa Lu village in Myanmar's Myawaddy district, near Thailand's Phob Phra district in Tak province. The victims would be locked in a room and subjected to systematic torture.

They were forced to contact their relatives to demand a ransom of $6,000 to $8,000, with the threat of being sold to another gang if the money was not paid.

In April, five victims managed to have their families pay the ransom, but they remain in captivity, according to the source.

Exodus Road also sought help from Fair Party MP Kannavee Suebsang. Kannavee once played a crucial role in evacuating refugees in Laukkaing, Shan State, during a rebel siege.

In a Facebook post on Friday, Kannavee highlighted that in addition to Moroccan citizens, the Chinese syndicate also took 41 Sri Lankans hostage in Myanmar. Kannavee called on the government to launch a rescue mission, with the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security taking the lead through the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) method.

“Many gangs operate from the 'No Man's Land' just across the border in Tak's Phob Phra district due to the lack of law enforcement in the area and easy access to Thai telecommunications infrastructure.

The alarming situation underscores the urgent need for coordinated rescue efforts and stricter law enforcement in border areas to prevent such incidents of human trafficking, the Bangkok Post reported.

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