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Twenty Sri Lankans rescued from Myanmar cybercrime camps; 34 still trapped
View(s):By Mimi Alphonsus
Foreign Affairs State Minister Tharaka Balasuriya addressing a post- rescue media conference. Pic by Priyanka Samaraweera
Addressing a post-rescue media conference on Friday, Foreign Affairs State Minister Tharaka Balasuriya said that since these criminals were involved in scams such as credit card frauds targeting Western customers, they were looking for workers who could speak English and be persuasive. The twenty rescued victims, for instance, were all below the age of thirty.
Typically, the victims are trafficked to Myanmar on tourist visas via Dubai or Thailand on the promise of employment.
The Foreign Ministry’s Consular Affair Director General, Sisira Senaviratne, urged overseas job seekers to go through only proper channels to avoid falling victim to traffickers. “Your parents have only us to call. We do everything to make people aware, but this continues to happen; please don’t fall prey to these illegal activities,” he said.
State Minister Balasuriya applauded the efforts of current and former ambassadors to Thailand and Myanmar, as well as his ministry colleagues, for managing the release. The twenty rescued Sri Lankans will be repatriated to Sri Lanka from Thailand, where they are now.
He also revealed the ministry had the GPS coordinates of the remaining 34 victims. “We are looking into all avenues through the support of the government of Myanmar and third parties,” he said.
Neither the State Minister nor the Director General revealed how they secured the release of the 20 Sri Lankans, given the task ahead to rescue the remaining Sri Lankans.
Besides Sri Lankans, nationals from India, Indonesia, and Morocco have also been lured into these camps and are awaiting rescue. In many instances, a ransom had to be paid before the victims were freed.
Human trafficking is one of the pressing issues for Sri Lanka, with many people leaving the country in search of foreign jobs, especially after the 2022 economic crisis.
Foreign Employment Bureau sources said there had even been instances of registered employment agencies participating in human trafficking.
National Anti-Trafficking Task Force official Sandun Gunawardena said they were working with the Criminal Investigations Department and Interpol to investigate the cybercrime trafficking network and identify those involved inside Sri Lanka.
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