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On June 5, 2022, Leo, a 27-year-old Chinese student from Taizhou, Zhejiang Province, stood at the edge of a murky river in Southeast Asia. The river, no wider than five or six meters, stretched lazily between two banks of yellowish mud and tangled wild bushes. It seemed insignificant, but this modest waterway, the Moei River, marks the Thai-Myanmar border, infamous as a haven for human smuggling.
Leo’s companions that day were a Kenyan woman and a Chinese man in his thirties. Behind them trailed four menacing figures, one of whom openly carried a machete, its blade glinting under the sunlight.
“They are human traffic,” the Kenyan woman whispered. At that moment, Leo realized their fate - they were “pigs,” a term used in human trafficking circles for victims sold into exploitative labor or fraudulent schemes.
The Journey to Despair
Leo’s background was relatively privileged. At the age of 16, he was sent to study in the UK, attending Liverpool University. However, his academic journey was cut short when his family declared bankruptcy, leaving him without a high school or university diploma. Fluent in English, Leo worked across the Middle East and Africa for various Chinese companies as a translator or administrator, often earning over 15,000 RMB (about $2,000) monthly, including accommodation.
In early 2022, Leo left a job in Kenya and moved to Dubai in search of new opportunities. Browsing through the local Chinese job portal “Dubai Quanqiu Tong,” he came across a job posting from a Bangkok-based company claiming to be involved in cross-border e-commerce. The position, offering over 10,000 RMB monthly with accommodation and airfare included, required a translator and assistant. Following a casual phone interview and an English video introduction, Leo was hired.
"Bangkok, to me, seemed like a safe and law-abiding city," Leo recalled. Without hesitation, he booked a ticket to Thailand.
The First Signs of Danger
On June 4, 2022, Leo landed in Bangkok after taking a budget flight. He was greeted by a gray van that drove him for several hours into the countryside. Suspicious of the long journey, Leo questioned his recruiter, who reassured him, saying the company’s location was remote. The van stopped once at a service station for grilled chicken and was briefly inspected by police, who checked his passport.
By nightfall, Leo arrived at a three-star hotel where he was told to rest for the night. The next morning, a black SUV picked him up, with two additional passengers: the Kenyan woman and a younger Chinese man. The atmosphere was tense, and no one spoke. The SUV eventually stopped at a desolate junction surrounded by dense forest.
“It was clear then - I was doomed,” Leo said. Four burly men emerged from a wooden shack, one of them brandishing a machete. The three passengers were ushered out of the vehicle and ordered to walk toward the Moei River. Leo considered escaping but realized the armed guards and surrounding motorcycles made it impossible.
The group was ferried across the river on a small boat, landing in Myanmar. They walked deeper into the jungle before meeting a middle-aged man of Chinese descent. Leo pleaded for advice on survival. The man casually warned them: “Don’t try to escape, or everyone will come after you. Don’t defy the company, or you’ll regret it.”
Trapped in a Scammer’s Den
Leo and the others were loaded into another van alongside several Burmese girls. After an hour and a half, Leo was dropped off alone at an industrial compound guarded by armed soldiers. Inside, the site resembled an impoverished community, with rows of red-brick buildings surrounded by iron fences. The guards led Leo to a dormitory housing eight people in cramped bunk beds.
His supervisor wasted no time revealing the truth. Leo was now part of a fraudulent operation specializing in “romance scams” targeting foreign victims. The recruiter who hired him was a human trafficker. His passport and electronic devices were confiscated, and his communication history was thoroughly inspected. Leo was given a script for scamming and warned about the consequences of disobedience or escape attempts. The supervisor explicitly threatened to sell him to KK Park, a notorious scam and organ-trafficking hub in Myanmar.
A Temporary Reprieve
Leo managed to avoid direct involvement in scamming by leveraging his accounting skills. After demonstrating proficiency in Excel, he was assigned as an accountant for the company. This move allowed him to work outside the main compound, relocating to a hotel near Myawaddy’s Pier 1, a bustling area of casinos and entertainment venues. Despite the relative freedom, the risk of kidnapping loomed, and Leo found himself under constant surveillance.
He attempted to contact anti-trafficking NGOs in Myanmar via email, but received no response. Desperation set in as he realized he couldn’t pinpoint his exact location, and the Thai SIM card provided by the company prevented him from making calls. For three months, Leo meticulously gathered information about his surroundings while clinging to the faint hope of eventual release after completing the so-called six-month “contract.”
A Dangerous Plan
When Leo was transferred back to the main compound due to restructuring, his living conditions worsened. The compound was heavily guarded and surrounded by iron fences and walls, with security forces patrolling its perimeter. Escape seemed impossible - attempts by others had ended in brutal beatings, with rewards offered to guards who recaptured fugitives.
The compound operated like a self-contained city, with amenities such as a cafeteria, small shops, and even brothels. Despite the harsh conditions, Leo noted the exorbitant cost of goods - cans of soda were priced at 8 RMB (about $1.10), and low-quality towels cost over 200 RMB ($27).
Through months of observation, Leo identified the compound’s vulnerabilities. The northeast side was bordered by the Moei River, but it was heavily monitored. The southwestern exit, a narrow dirt road, was the only feasible escape route.
The Escape
On September 3, 2022, Leo seized his chance. During a lunch break, he deliberately lagged behind the group returning to the dormitory. Timing his movements carefully, he sprinted toward the southwestern road. Guards noticed his absence and raised the alarm, but Leo managed to evade capture by diving into a nearby ditch and crawling through dense underbrush.
Once clear of the compound, Leo navigated his way to a local village, where a sympathetic resident directed him to a nearby Thai border crossing. Exhausted and malnourished, he finally reached safety.
Reflections and Warnings
Leo’s harrowing ordeal highlights the growing prevalence of human trafficking and online fraud rings in Southeast Asia. Exploiting job seekers’ desperation, these criminal networks lure victims with promises of high salaries and free accommodations, only to trap them in inhumane conditions.
Today, Leo advocates for increased awareness and stricter measures against such operations. “If something seems too good to be true, it probably is,” he warns.
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