World

They were forced to scam others worldwide; now thousands are detained on the Burmese border

Published

1 year ago

March 11, 2025

They were forced to scam others worldwide; now thousands are detained on the Burmese border

Thousands of sick, exhausted and terrified young men and women, from countries all over the world squat in rows, packed shoulder to shoulder, surgical masks covering their mouths and eyes.

Their nightmare was supposed to be over.

UN WARNS OF ‘FRIGHTENING AND DISTURBING’ ACTIVITY BY MILITARY, REBELS IN WESTERN BURMA

Last month, a dramatic and highly publicized operation by Thai, Chinese and Myanmar authorities led to the release of more than 7,000 people from locked compounds in Myanmar where they were forced to trick Americans and others out of their life savings. But survivors have found themselves trapped once again, this time in overcrowded facilities with no medical care, limited food and no idea when they’ll be sent home.

One young man from India said about 800 people were being held in the same facility as him, sharing 10 dirty toilets. He said many of the people there were feverish and coughing. Like all former enslaved scammers who talked to The Associated Press, he spoke on condition of anonymity out of concern for his safety.

“If we die here with health issues, who is responsible for that?” he asked.

The armed groups who are holding the survivors, as well as Thai officials across the border, say they are awaiting action from the detainees’ home governments.

It’s one of the largest potential rescues of forced laborers in modern history, but advocates say the first major effort to crack down on the cyber scam industry has turned into a growing humanitarian crisis.

The people released are just a small fraction of what could be 300,000 people working in similar scam operations across the region, according to an estimate from the United States Institute of Peace. Human rights groups and analysts add that the networks that run these illegal scams will continue to operate unless much broader action is taken against them.

A high-profile crackdown

The trapped people, some of whom are highly educated and fluent in English, were initially lured to Thailand with promises of lucrative office jobs, only to find themselves locked in buildings where they describe being forced to sit at computers up to 16 hours a day running scams. Refusing to work could bring beatings, starvation and electric shocks.

People from China, Vietnam and Ethiopia, believed to have been trafficked and forced to work in scam centers, sit with their faces masked while in detention after being released from the centers in Myawaddy district in eastern Myanmar, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanaphon Wuttison)

“Your passport is confiscated, you cannot go outside and everything is like hell, a living hell,” a trapped Pakistani man told The Associated Press.

Cyber scams run from compounds have flourished during the pandemic, targeting people around the world. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes estimates that between $18 billion and $37 billion was lost in Asia alone in 2023, with minimal government action against the criminal industry’s spread.

Beijing began pushing the region’s governments to crack down this year after a young Chinese actor was trafficked to Myanmar by people who promised him an acting job in Thailand. His girlfriend spearheaded a viral social media campaign that led to his release.

Following that rescue, a senior Chinese government official visited Thailand and Myanmar demanding an end to the scams. In response, Thailand cut electricity, internet and gas supplies to five border towns in Myanmar.

Shortly after, the ethnic militia groups that rule this part of Myanmar — the Kayin Border Guard Force and the Democratic Kayin Buddhist Army — asked some of the trapped scammers if they wanted to leave, and then escorted them out of their compounds.

From forced labor to detention

As the number of people released grew into the thousands, formerly enslaved scammers found themselves caught in indefinite detention just across a narrow, slow-moving river’s width from freedom.

Most are being held either in army camps controlled by the Kayin Border Guard Force, or repurposed scam compounds, where many have been since early February.

For weeks, men and women have shared unsanitary conditions, sleeping on the floor and eating what their captors provide. At one point, the Border Guard Force said that over 7,000 people were crammed into these facilities, as China began busing citizens across the border for flights.

Exclusive photos obtained by AP underscore the detainees’ desperation: Surgical masks, often two per face, cover their eyes, noses and mouths as they huddle under the watchful eyes of armed guards.

“It felt like a blessing that we came out of that trap, but the actual thing is that every person just wants to go back home,” said another Indian man, 24, speaking softly on a contraband phone from inside a makeshift detention center. He asked to not publish his name out of concern for his safety and because the militias guarding them had confiscated their phones.

Last week, fights broke out between Chinese citizens waiting to go home and the security forces guarding them, two detainees told the AP.

An unconfirmed list provided by authorities in Myanmar says they’re holding citizens from 29 countries including Philippines, Kenya and the Czech Republic.

Waiting for a $600 plane ticket

Authorities in Thailand say they cannot allow foreigners to cross the border from Myanmar unless they can be sent home immediately, leaving many to wait for help from embassies that has been long in coming.

China sent a chartered flight Thursday to the tiny Mae Sot airport to pick up a group of its citizens, but few other governments have matched that. There are roughly 130 Ethiopians waiting in a Thai military base, stuck for want of a $600 plane ticket. Dozens of Indonesians were bused out one morning last week, pushing suitcases and carrying plastic bags with their meager possessions as they headed to Bangkok for a flight home.

Thai officials held a meeting this week with representatives from foreign embassies, promising to move “as quickly as possible” to allow them to rescue their trapped citizens. But they warned that Thailand can only manage to receive 300 people per day, down from 500 previously, Monday through Fridays. It also announced it would let embassy staff cross over into Myanmar.

“The ministry attaches very high importance to this and is aware that there are sick people, and that they need to be repatriated,” Nikorndej Balankura, spokesman for Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday.

The Indian Embassy in Bangkok did not respond to requests for comment. The Czech Foreign Ministry says it cannot confirm a Czech citizen is among those repatriated. It says it is in touch with the embassies in Bangkok and Yangon over the issue and that the embassies have not been asked for assistance.

Amy Miller, the Southeast Asia director of Acts of Mercy International who is based at the Thai-Myanmar border, says it’s hard for the world to understand why all of the released workers aren’t free.

“You can literally, with your naked eye, stand at the border and see people inside, on their balconies, in these compounds, and yet we cannot reach them,” she said. Pausing a moment, she gestured out a nearby window toward the Friendship Bridge to Myanmar just blocks away. “I think what people don’t understand is that to enter into another country is an act of war. You cannot just go in and receive these people out.”

Assistance is scarce

Aiding the work on the front lines, especially for those countries with fewer resources, are a handful of small nonprofit groups with very limited funds.

In a nondescript Mae Sot home, Miller’s organization receives escapees and a trickle of survivors who have made it across the river with comfortable couches, clean water, food and working phones to reach their families. She said today’s unprecedented numbers are overwhelming the aid available across the river.

“When we’re looking at numbers in the thousands, the ability to get them over to Thailand and process them and house them and feed them would be impossible for most governments,” said Miller. “It really does require a kind of a global response.”

The recent abrupt halt to U.S. foreign aid funding has made it even harder to get help to released scam center workers.

The United Nations’ International Organization for Migration, for example, previously funded care for victims of trafficking in scam compounds in one shelter in Cambodia, but was forced to halt that work by the Trump Administration’s funding freeze announced in January, according to a source with direct knowledge of the situation. The halt to funding has also impacted a network of civil society groups that worked to stop human trafficking and rescue survivors in Thailand.

“It’s really heartbreaking to see that there’s such an immense amount of people that are in need of assistance,” said Saskia Kok, Head of Protection Unit in Thailand for the IOM.

In a statement, U.S. officials acknowledged the high pressure impasse.

“The United States remains deeply concerned about online scam operations throughout Southeast Asia, which affect thousands of Americans and individuals from many other countries,” said a State Department spokesperson in a statement sent to the AP.

A bigger problem

While advocates estimate some 50 million people are living in modern slavery, mass rescues of enslaved workers are rare. In 2015, more than 2,000 fishermen were rescued from brutal conditions at sea, liberated after an Associated Press investigation exposed their plight. That same year hundreds of Indians were rescued from brick factories in India. And last year Brazilian prosecutors rescued 163 Chinese nationals working in “slavery-like” conditions at an electric vehicle factory construction site in northeastern Brazil.

“What we are seeing at the Thai-Myanmar border now is the result of years of inaction on a trafficking crisis that has had a devastating impact on thousands of people, many of whom were simply seeking better economic prospect, but were lured to these compounds on false pretenses,” said Amnesty International Myanmar researcher Joe Freeman.

Being forced to commit a crime under threat of violence should not be criminalized, said Freeman. “However, in general we are aware of countries in the region repatriating their nationals from scam compounds only to then charge them with crimes.”

Business as usual

It’s not clear how much of an effect these releases will have on the criminal groups that run the scam centers.

February marked the third time the Thais have cut internet or electricity to towns across the river. Each time, the compounds have managed to work around the cuts. Large compounds have access to diesel-powered generators, as well as access to internet provider Starlink, experts working with law enforcement say.

“The resources is the one thing that they are not lacking and they’ve been able to bring them to bear in the past,” said Benedikt Hoffman, acting representative for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in the region.

The armed groups that staged the crackdown have also been accused of helping to run scam compounds in Myawaddy. The head of the Kayin Border Guard Force, General Saw Chit Thu, has been sanctioned by the European Union and the United Kingdom for profiting from scam compounds and human trafficking, respectively. Compounds in the DKBA’s control are less well-documented in the public record, but activists say they also control a fair number.

“There is clearly a lot of pressure on the Border Guard Force to take action and helping people to leave is one of the most visible ways to do so,” Hoffman said. “That said, it likely also reflects an adjustment to the business model, reducing the number of people involved — and with less attention, continuing lower key operations.”

It will take simultaneous pressure exerted in multiple areas to truly shut down the compounds, said Hoffman.

In this crackdown, there have been no major prosecutions or compounds shut down.

“This doesn’t affect anything,” said a 23-year-old Pakistani man who had hoped to be freed only to be trapped in an army camp. The bosses, he said, are “rich as hell” and can buy anything they need to keep the lucrative operations going. Meanwhile, he said, conditions are worsening.

“My friends are in really bad condition, we can’t survive here,” he said, requesting anonymity out of fear for retribution from his guards. He asks a question that’s been haunting him day in and day out for weeks: “Is anyone coming for us?”

World

Colombia Adds Massive Soundstage as Bogotá Audiovisual Market Attendance Soars and ‘Narcos’ Star-Led ‘Rookies’ Cleans Up in Project Prizes

Published

6 hours ago

July 11, 2026

Press Room

Colombia Adds Massive Soundstage as Bogotá Audiovisual Market Attendance Soars and ‘Narcos’ Star-Led ‘Rookies’ Cleans Up in Project Prizes

Colombia’s Bogotá Audiovisual Market (BAM) has wrapped its 17th Edition July 10 with an uptick in attendance. The numbers say it all: 2,336 accredited participants and 271 industry activities and 882 one-on-one business meetings connecting selected projects with a host of international guests, advisors and potential partners.

“BAM once again showed that Colombia has world-class stories to tell and the talent to bring them to global audiences. We’re confident that many of the projects that came through the market leave stronger than they arrived—and one step closer to becoming the films, series, and audiovisual experiences audiences will see in the years ahead,” said BAM director Carlos Eduardo Moreno.

The ever-expanding five-day event was packed with panels, masterclasses and training sessions among a dizzying array of activities. It only paused when Colombia played against Switzerland in its failed bid to make the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup on July 8. Even the traffic-clogged streets of Bogotá went virtually silent.

This year’s edition awarded 70 in-kind prizes from national and international partners to selected projects and emerging talent across various categories including Fiction Films, Documentaries, Series, Rough Features, Animation, Rough Shorts and Bammers. Among the big winners was José Luis Rugeles and Ana María Tarazona of Rhayuela, who took home five awards for their TV series project, “Rookies” (“Oficina de Detectives”).

Jose Luis Rugeles and Ana María Tarazona of Rhayuela Won Five Prizes for ‘Rookies’
Credit: Paul Cataño

Among documentary feature contenders, “La Sombra de Yolüja” by Hanz Rippe Gabriel and Fernanda Pineda and “De la Villa” by Mónica Taboada and Beto Rosero split the prizes.

Meanwhile, Agamenón Quintero’s “De naranjas y otros demonios” snagged the most awards in the fiction feature section.

Organized by Proimágenes Colombia and the Bogotá Chamber of Commerce, BAM remains a key engine driving Latin America’s audiovisual sector.

TIS Studios Opens Massive 18,300-Square-Foot Stage 7, VFX Companies Folks, Loma Expand Clientele

BAM took place just as TIS Studios, which has hosted a slew of high-profile projects, announced the opening of Stage 7, a new 18,300-square-foot soundstage, primed to host large-scale international film and TV productions.

“TIS Studios brings highly trained crews, international production standards and the protocols to manage large-scale projects, all backed by nearly three decades of delivering premium content,” said Samuel Duque, president of TIS Studios. “Stage 7 adds to that foundation. Combined with Colombia’s production incentives, it gives producers, showrunners and production studios around the world one more reason to bring their most ambitious projects here.”

The launch of Stage 7 marks the next phase in TIS Studios’ expansion, building on nearly 30 years of production expertise and a track record of projects for major global platforms and networks including Netflix, Amazon, Disney, Paramount, CBS Studios, MTV, Fox Television Studios, Nickelodeon, NBCUniversal and Telemundo.

At 18,300 square feet and 40 feet high, Stage 7 is Colombia’s largest soundstage and one of the biggest in Latin America.

Meanwhile, VFX company Folks Bogotá, run by Andrea Espinal, has attracted a slew of international projects to its studio, lured by its highly competitive rates.

The shows it has serviced include Netflix’s epic “One Hundred Years of Solitude,” Taylor Sheridan’s “1883” and “Lioness” (Seasons I and II), Rodrigo Prieto’s directorial feature debut “Pedro Páramo,” AppleTV’s “The Morning Show” and survival horror pic “Boiúna: Legend of the Amazon,” formerly titled “Titan,” which shot in the Colombian Amazon.

Launched in 2019 under Espinal, Folks Bogotá studio was established to harness Colombia’s creative talent for high-end VFX productions. What began by supporting the Montreal team grew into a full-service studio delivering visual effects for major Latin American and international titles.

Another burgeoning VFX company, Loma, with deep roots as a family-owned rental equipment company, has expanded into the virtual production business. Its 200-square-meter virtual production studio combines custom LED volumes with real-time technologies including Unreal Engine, camera tracking and media servers to deliver in-camera VFX and extended reality (xR) productions.

Run by COO Francisco Forero, the Bogotá-based facility supports feature films, series, commercials, live broadcasts and R&D projects, offering filmmakers a state-of-the-art environment for virtual production and next-generation visual effects workflows.

Among some of the shows they have serviced are Netflix’s fact-based skyjacking series “The Hijacking of Flight 601,” SPT’s “Hasta que amanezca” and “Como perderlo todo” from Dago Prods. as well as BAM’s Vaivén, a large-scale immersive audiovisual installation created by artist collective Project Aurora.

Not surprisingly, its biggest client, as is the case with TIS’ and Folks,’ is Netflix, which has continued to grow its slate in Colombia, recently tapping Ana Maria Londoño as Head of Content in Bogotá.

Venezuelan Filmmaker Mariana Rondón Reflects on ‘All Her Nights Without Caracas’

Taking the stage for her BAM Talk, Venezuelan filmmaker Mariana Rondón reflected on her path to cinema, from her award-winning “Bad Hair” (“Pelo malo”) to her latest feature, “It Would Be Night in Caracas,” produced by Edgar Ramírez.

Rondón revealed that her creative journey began with an unexpected fascination: genetics. She spent a decade developing her own “genetic laboratory” through art, creating an installation that imagined transgenic beings and produced just 12 seconds of moving imagery. “That process transformed my understanding of cinema: powerful stories can begin with an image, not only with a script,” she said, emphasizing the emotional power of images to generate curiosity, wonder, and meaning.

The Venezuelan exodus later reshaped her artistic focus. “Seeing people walk from Venezuela all the way to Chile—step by step, crossing borders on foot—felt almost biblical,” she said, describing a crisis that forced many, including herself, to rethink identity, belonging and the possibility of imagining a future.

Unable to film “It Would Be Night in Caracas” in the Venezuelan capital, Rondón and her co-director Marité Ugas recreated the city in Mexico, working with hundreds of displaced Venezuelans. During scenes recreating protests, the boundary between fiction and reality collapsed. “We would call ‘cut,’ but there was no way to stop,” she recalled. Many participants were reliving their own experiences, leading the production to provide psychological support.

Ultimately, the film became an act of reconstruction – a way to reconnect with a country many had lost and to explore identity through cinema. “That question of identity is at the heart of why we make films,” she said.

Colombia’s Film Boom Has a Sustainability Problem

A new industry study presented at BAM confirms the historic impact of Colombia’s Film Law 814, which, through the Film Development Fund (FDC) and tax incentives, transformed the country into a thriving production hub. Between 2015 and 2025, Colombia released 548 feature films—compared with roughly two per year before 2003—with public support and tax incentives financing more than half of them and attracting around $160 million in private investment.

But the study also reveals a major challenge: production growth has not translated into stronger companies. Only 25% of production houses supported by the FDC or tax incentives have returned for a second project, leaving 75% unable to build long-term capacity. With most companies operating with just two employees and cinema representing only part of their revenue, the report warns that Colombia is successfully financing films—but not yet building sustainable film businesses.

The study proposes 12 strategies to strengthen the ecosystem, including expanding funding tools, improving tax incentives, supporting distribution and promotion, and recognizing the operational costs needed to build resilient production companies.

“The study confirms the need for a more integrated approach to film policy. 26 years ago, the priority was to create Colombian films. Today, those films exist—but their market share remains minimal, and they are still not reaching audiences,” said producer-director Cristina Gallego (“Birds of Passage”), who led the panel.

“We need to embrace technological change and incorporate it into financing strategies, moving beyond fragmented interests. Screenwriters, regional filmmakers, workers, festivals, producers, distributors, and public institutions—including the ministries of culture, education, technology, and commerce—all have a stake in the audiovisual sector, yet they often operate separately,” she added.

“Without a sustainable ecosystem that supports both companies—production and distribution—and the people who power the industry, long-term growth will remain impossible.”

World

Former British MP and reality TV star Ann Widdecombe found dead; man arrested for murder

Published

7 hours ago

July 11, 2026

Press Room

Former British MP and reality TV star Ann Widdecombe found dead; man arrested for murder

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says he will resign amid political turmoil

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has resigned, announcing his decision outside Number 10 Downing Street amid significant political turmoil. Fox News senior foreign affairs correspondent Greg Palkot reports that Starmer’s leadership has been plagued by economic struggles, immigration issues, and declining support from his Labour Party. Andy Burnham, a popular former mayor, is now considered a frontrunner to become the UK’s seventh Prime Minister in a decade.

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

A 26-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of Ann Widdecombe, a former British member of Parliament and reality TV contestant, police said.

Widdecombe, 78, was found dead Thursday in her home on the edge of Dartmoor National Park in southwest England. Authorities said she died of serious injuries, Reuters reported.

The name of the suspect has not been released.

LABOUR MP PUTS CABINET ‘ON NOTICE,’ THREATENS TO TRIGGER LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE AGAINST STARMER BY MONDAY

Britain’s European Parliament member Ann Widdecombe, right, of the Brexit Party, speaks during a debate at the European Parliament on Jan. 14, 2020, in Strasbourg, eastern France. Widdecombe was found dead in her home this week and a 26-year-old man has been arrested, authorities said. (Jean-Francois Badias/AP)

“This is really shocking news, and my thoughts, I think all of our thoughts, will be with the family and friends of Ann Widdecombe at this awful time,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer said. “Ann was a distinguished politician over many, many years with many achievements, and it’s a huge, huge loss.”

Investigators don’t believe the killing was politically motivated, Devon and Cornwall Police Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman said.

“Our murder enquiry is in its early stages but moving at a significant pace,” Devon and Cornwall Police said in a statement.

Starmer said the security of lawmakers was “of the utmost importance,” and urged people to rise above political differences.

BRITISH PRIME MINISTER KEIR STARMER FACES POTENTIAL LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE FROM NEWLY-ELECTED ANDY BURNHAM

Former British member of Parliament Ann Widdecombe reads a statement outside the Old Bailey in London after the sentencing of Ali Harbi Ali in relation to the murder trial of the late British lawmaker David Amess. (John Sibley/Reuters)

Widdecombe served in Parliament, but found fame after leaving office as a contestant on the Strictly Come Dancing and Celebrity Big Brother reality television shows. She later joined the Brexit Party and became a spokeswoman for the anti-mass migration Reform UK party.

In a post on X, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called Widdecombe “a heroic Brexiteer and a great speaker who could move Tory audiences to such ecstasy that she was a very hard act to follow.”

Cloud9 Management, which represented Widdecombe for more than a decade, said her life was driven by her “strong Christian values and commitment to public service.”

“She loved the cut and thrust of political debate and, 16 years after leaving Parliament, was still actively campaigning for Reform UK and offering forthright views on the hot topics of the day across numerous radio and television programmes (sic). Ann was a valued patron of many causes, particularly her animal charities,” the company said in a social media post.

Brexit Party member and then-MEP Ann Widdecombe speaks during a Brexit Party news conference in London on Aug. 27, 2019. (Henry Nicholls/Reuters)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

In the past decade, two serving British members of parliament have been murdered.

In the midst of the Brexit campaign of 2016, Labour lawmaker Jo Cox was shot and stabbed by a Nazi-obsessed loner. Conservative lawmaker David Amess was fatally stabbed in 2021 by a man inspired by the ‌Islamic State terror group.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

World

Hundreds of thousands evacuated as Typhoon Bavi barrels towards China

Published

8 hours ago

July 11, 2026

Press Room

Hundreds of thousands evacuated as Typhoon Bavi barrels towards China

Super Typhoon Bavi has been downgraded but is still dangerous, meteorologists say.

Published On 11 Jul 2026

More than 600,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in China as Typhoon Bavi barrels towards the country after hitting Japan’s Sakishima islands and grazing northern Taiwan.

Chinese authorities said on Saturday more than half a million people were evacuated in the eastern Zhejiang province and another 100,000 in neighbouring Fujian province.

Philippines records deaths, Taiwan escapes casualties

At least 17 people were killed in the Philippines after heavy rains brought on by an enhanced southwest monsoon and worsened by Bavi’s impact triggered landslides overnight on Friday.

In Taiwan, where Bavi is expected to sweep past on Saturday according to the island’s Central Weather Administration, at least 36 people have been injured – mainly while riding motorcycles on slippery roads in the heavy rain and winds.

Some 14,210 people were evacuated across the island by Saturday morning, particularly from the city of Taichung and the county of Hualien. Schools, offices and most restaurants across Taiwan have been closed.

Meanwhile, more than 200 flights were cancelled across Japan as authorities in the southern Okinawa prefecture warned of high waves, strong winds and storm surges. Strong winds and rain have hit the southern Sakishima island chain – administered under Okinawa – since Friday.