India to fly back 500 nationals detained by Thai authorities

India will soon repatriate around 500 of its nationals stranded in Thailand after they fled across the border from Myanmar’s Myawaddy region, where the military recently launched a crackdown on a major cybercrime hub, KK Park.

Confirming the development, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “We are aware of Indian nationals detained by Thai authorities. They had crossed into Thailand from Myanmar over the past few days. Our Mission in Thailand is working closely with local authorities to verify their nationality and facilitate their return, once legal formalities are completed.”

KK Park, located in Myanmar’s Kayin state, is infamous among law enforcement agencies as a hub for large-scale online fraud, human trafficking and forced labour. The compound is said to be controlled by Chinese criminal syndicates with backing from local militia groups aligned to Myanmar’s military regime.

Reportedly, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters in Bangkok that India plans to send a special aircraft to Mae Sot to bring back its citizens, who have been housed in temporary shelters along the Thai border. “India has asked for cooperation from Thailand. They don’t want this to burden us. They will send a plane to pick these victims up,” he said.

According to Thai officials, over 1,500 people from 28 countries have crossed into Thailand since the Myanmar military began operations last week to dismantle cyber fraud syndicates operating out of KK Park and nearby enclaves. Many of the workers were reportedly trafficked or lured under false job promises and forced into online scam operations.

India had earlier this year also carried out similar repatriations after hundreds of its nationals were rescued from scam centres along the Thai–Myanmar border amid a regional crackdown on transnational cybercrime networks.

International agencies, including the United Nations, have warned that the border zones between Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia have become centres for cyber fraud worth billions of dollars, run through networks exploiting trafficked workers from across Asia.

A UN report last year had estimated that 1.20 lakh people were trapped in war-torn Myanmar and at least one lakh in Cambodia. All of them are said to be techies who were promised regular, well-paying jobs in the IT sector. But they are among the lakhs who have been forced into committing crypto fraud and love scams.

India’s planned repatriation flight, officials said, will take place once Thai authorities complete verification procedures and issue necessary clearances.