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On November 25, 2024, at around 5 a.m., 39 foreign individuals successfully escaped from a notorious scam compound in Myawaddy, Myanmar, crossing the Moei River into Thailand. Among them were 32 Sri Lankans, 5 Nepalese, 1 Russian, and 1 Malaysian. The group was taken in by Thai border officials, who are now coordinating with their respective embassies to arrange their safe return home.
The escape was planned with the help of Sri Lankan embassy volunteers. A few Sri Lankans secretly contacted the embassy, and with the assistance of local villagers - who were compensated by rescue organizations - the group managed to flee the compound.
One of the escapees, 27-year-old Russian Vadim Papusuev, shared his harrowing story. Born in Chita, a city in Russia’s Far East, Vadim was lured to Thailand under the false promise of a high-paying job by a Chinese recruiter. Upon arriving in Bangkok, Vadim and a group of young recruits were packed into a minivan. He fell asleep during the journey and woke up near the Moei River, at the Myanmar-Thai border. There, he was forced across the river into a scam compound in Myawaddy.
In the compound, Vadim’s passport was confiscated, and he was subjected to physical abuse and starvation if he refused to work. Despite his ordeal, Vadim was given the role of a photographer, as he had professional experience in photography. However, his duties extended beyond taking pictures - he was forced to participate in elaborate online scams known as "pig-butchering" schemes, which involved cultivating trust with victims before defrauding them of large sums of money.
Vadim described the scam operation in detail. Workers were given internet phones to contact potential victims, beginning with messages like, “Hi, we met through your dad! Do you remember me?” or “Hello, are you still working at [company name]?” Once a victim responded, the scammer would build a relationship, often pretending to share financial success stories. Victims were first persuaded to invest small amounts, which were returned with interest to gain trust. Once convinced, victims were tricked into making larger deposits, which were stolen.
In the compound, fireworks were set off to celebrate whenever a scam operation exceeded $10,000 in profits. These celebrations were frequent, highlighting the scale of the fraudulent activities.
Workers who failed to bring in sufficient income faced harsh punishments, including severe beatings and food deprivation. Vadim likened the treatment of workers to that of livestock, emphasizing the dehumanizing conditions in the compound. Despite the challenges, Vadim managed to earn a degree of respect by using his physical strength to fend off a fellow detainee in a fight.
The scam compound primarily employed Asian laborers, with very few Slavic individuals. Vadim noted that Russian-speaking detainees received slightly better treatment due to the warlords controlling Myawaddy being wary of Russia. This relative leniency, along with the intervention of a seasoned Russian volunteer named Yelena Faminekh, played a significant role in Vadim’s rescue. Yelena, who has worked in Thailand since the late 1990s and speaks fluent Thai, often serves as a point of contact for Russian-speaking detainees seeking help.
While Vadim is now safe, the fate of another Russian detainee, Kristina Andreyevna, remains uncertain. Kristina was reportedly lured to Myawaddy by a Chinese recruiter named Chen Bin. To force her compliance, Kristina was handcuffed and denied food for three days. Efforts to secure her release are ongoing.
This escape has shed light on the prevalence of scam operations in Myawaddy, where Chinese-run companies lure workers through social media ads promising high-paying jobs in Thailand. Local residents have reported seeing new ads for such jobs almost daily, designed to attract unsuspecting individuals who are later trafficked into scam compounds.
Thai authorities are continuing their investigation into the case, with plans to repatriate the victims.
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