Thailand’s Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) has arrested 24 foreigners, including 19 Filipinos believed to be victims of human trafficking, during a midnight raid on a rented villa in Bangkok’s Bang Na district on October 29, according to a report by the Thai Enquirer.
The operation targeted a group allegedly attempting to move trafficking victims from Myanmar to Cambodia. Authorities also detained two Singaporeans, two Malaysians, and a Chinese national. Five other Malaysian suspects reportedly fled and remain at large. Investigators found that two individuals lacked legal entry documents, while several others had overstayed their visas.
Information relayed to former Philippine Embassy police attaché Col. Dominador Matalang indicated that the Filipinos had crossed through Myawaddy, Myanmar, alongside a Chinese handler. They were reportedly seeking to enter Cambodia after the Myanmar military bombed scam compounds in the KK Parks area last week.
Preliminary findings suggest the group entered Thailand around October 21. All those arrested were transported to the CIB for verification of immigration status and further questioning.
Meanwhile, the situation in Myanmar remains tense for other Filipinos trapped in conflict zones and scam hub regions. Fifteen Filipino nationals are still being held inside a Border Guard Forces compound in Myawaddy, where negotiations for their release continue. Fourteen more Filipinos, including a pregnant woman, are sheltering under the protection of the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army, an ethnic militia group in southeastern Myanmar.
Fears persist among those still stranded that they may be forced back into scam operations. More than 200 Filipino trafficking victims have already crossed into the Thai border town of Mae Sot and are currently awaiting processing ahead of repatriation.
