Hello fediverse friends.
For The Globe and Mail newspaper, I've spent the last four months hearing from survivors of Myanmar's infamous scam compounds. Run by Chinese criminal syndicates with the collaboration of at least one Burmese pro-junta militia, the camps are staffed by trafficking victims, including a growing number of Africans who are beaten, electrocuted and raped if they don't meet scamming targets. They aren't paid for their efforts.
My story is published.
theglobeandmail.com/world/artiโฆ
Africans are being confined and beaten in scam camps in Myanmar
Migrants toil for long hours on social-media platforms, targeting people with crypto and romance scamsZecharias Zelalem (The Globe and Mail)
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Zecharias Zelalem
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Zecharias Zelalem
in reply to Zecharias Zelalem • • •Chinese scam camp operators in Myanmar have tortured and even murdered victims. But Meseret Mulu, a 27 year old Ethiopian woman, told me that at one point, the criminals brought in fighters from the DKBA (Democratic Karen Benevolent Army), a Burmese militia group allied with the junta...to come in and torture her, by stripping her naked and forcing her to spend hours in searing heat.
Warring factions take a cut to allow Chinese mafia gangs to open camps in their territory.
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Zecharias Zelalem
in reply to Zecharias Zelalem • • •The criminals operate in Myanmar, because it's too dangerous for them to do so in China. Last month, 11 Chinese operators of Burmese scam camps were executed in China.
Thailand tries to curb activities, including by shutting off internet to border villages where the scam camps are located.
How have the criminals reconnected to the web in response to this? Via good old Elon Musk. Starlink is among the biggest internet providers to Southeast Asian scamming compounds.
bbc.com/news/articles/cx2gdrvyโฆ
China executes 11 members of Myanmar scam mafia
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Zecharias Zelalem
in reply to Zecharias Zelalem • • •India, the Philippines and China are prompt to repatriate their nationals. But African states do not do so. As such, Africans are becoming disproportionately targeted by Chinese criminal orgs knowing that little will be done to rescue them.
Africans who escape Myanmar can expect to spend lengthy stints in Thai immigration jail until they get the money for airfare/fines.
The UN itself is low on money, & issued a call last year for some $2.5M to fly home 1,000 survivors.
roasiapacific.iom.int/news/iomโฆ
IOM Urgently Seeks USD 2.5 Million to Repatriate Victims of Trafficking for Forced Criminality Stranded along Thai-Myanmar Border
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Zecharias Zelalem
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Zecharias Zelalem
in reply to Zecharias Zelalem • • •The UN estimates that over 120,000 people have been trafficked to scam camps in Myanmar since 2021, and endured various forms of exploitation and torture. It has become a billion dollar industry, with the scams targeting vulnerable people in Europe and North America.
Thai NGOs meanwhile, bravely coordinate rescues, negotiate with border guards to arrange the transfer of victims back to Thailand. But they are swamped and have limited means.
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Zecharias Zelalem
in reply to Zecharias Zelalem • • •If you're in the western world, learn more about what's behind the spammy, sometimes flirty, text messages from unknown numbers crowding up your Messages app. In Canada, it is very common and receiving daily scam texts isn't unheard of for many people.
If you're in Africa, warn friends and family about the dangers of job offers from Southeast Asia that seem too good to be true. Murders have been reported at these camps. Social media companies will not act or remove posts, so spread the word!
VoordeMus ๐ ๐ป๐๐ณ
in reply to Zecharias Zelalem • • •Zecharias Zelalem
in reply to VoordeMus ๐ ๐ป๐๐ณ • • •Zecharias Zelalem
in reply to Zecharias Zelalem • • •While the degree of suffering differs, this phenomenon causes universal suffering to victims from around the world, from the US to Kenya, from the UK to Uganda.
Hope to share some more of my findings with you in the coming days. If you went through yet another long thread of mine all the way to thisnpoint, thank you your time is appreciated๐๐ฟ
Story dropped on Sunday. If you're in Canada, the story will be available in tomorrow morning's newspaper.
Yours,
-ZZ.
theglobeandmail.com/world/artiโฆ
Africans are being confined and beaten in scam camps in Myanmar
Zecharias Zelalem (The Globe and Mail)Oblomov
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in reply to Sabrina Web ๐ • • •LukefromDC
in reply to Zecharias Zelalem • • •Zecharias Zelalem
in reply to LukefromDC • • •@LukefromDC Your assessment is accurate. Chinese victims have been trafficked and even murdered. One particular case in which an actual celebrity, a Chinese actor was trafficked to Myanmar provoked a lot of outrage in China and demands for accountability. As you imply, I also don't believe Chinese justice would be as robust if the victims were solely Africans.
theguardian.com/world/2025/janโฆ
A kidnapped Chinese actor, a scam gang, and a very public rescue operation
Helen Davidson (The Guardian)