A group of 23 South Africans have been returned home after an ordeal in Myanmar (Burma). They had been lured there in a recruitment scam.
The group had been offered jobs in Thailand as “internet promoters”, and promised good pay, accommodation and paid-for travel. Once in the country, they had been taken to Myanmar, where they were made to work for a cybercrime syndicate, held under armed guard in a compound, subjected to dreadful living conditions, and physically abused. A ransom was demanded for their release.
The scams involved conning older men out of money.
The group was brought back to South Africa with the assistance of the Thai government, after a “rescue mission” was undertaken in terms of an agreement between the two countries aimed at dealing with human trafficking and countering transnational organised crime.
“The government is grateful for the assistance provided by Thai authorities in facilitating the repatriation of the victims,” spokesman for the Department of International Relations and Cooperation Chrispin Phiri said.
“Simultaneously, efforts are under way to apprehend and prosecute the human traffickers involved,” he added, “The government, in collaboration with various committees and organisations, is adopting a multidisciplinary approach to combat human trafficking and protect its victims.”