The government will continue to root out call centre scam networks in neighbouring countries by collaborating with the governments of Cambodia and Laos following the success of the Myanmar case, says Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai.
Mr Phumtham, also Defence Minister, highlighted the government's proactive efforts to combat call centre scams on Saturday on Facebook.
He explained that call centre scams are transnational crimes that directly impact the lives of Thai and foreign nationals alike.
He noted that the government understands that solving this issue requires a systematic approach, not just arrests of criminals.
It involves cutting off crime operations, assisting victims and establishing international collaborations to prevent such crimes from recurring, as no single country can address this issue alone, he said.
According to him, the government has proactively worked with China and Myanmar to cut off water, power and fuel at five key locations along the Thai-Myanmar border to weaken call centre gangs and effectively halt their activities.
In addition, Mr Phumtham revealed he had discussed plans for cooperation with Laos' minister of defence, resulting in a joint effort between both countries to crack down on drug trafficking, human trafficking and cybercrime, with the leaders of both countries having signed an MoU for the collaboration.
Moreover, Mr Phumtham ordered Royal Thai Police inspector-general Pol Gen Thatchai Pitaneelaboot to join a meeting with the Cambodian National Police to create plans to prevent these scam networks from relocating.
The minister stressed that the government is committed to protecting Thais from criminal networks and has already made substantial progress. "The government will keep going forward to keep the people safe from scams. Please rest assured that it will not halt its operations until the issue is fully solved," he said.
Meanwhile, the repatriation of Chinese victims of call centre gangs and illegal businesses in Shwe Kokko township near Myawaddy in Myanmar's Karen state concluded on Saturday, with 128 additional victims sent back to China, bringing the total number of the individuals repatriated as part of the three-day operation to 628.
The efforts were part of a larger plan to help victims held by criminal gangs in Myawaddy.
