9 Thais rescued from Chinese call center gang in Cambodia 2023.12.23 ☑Press ☑Thailand,ประเทศไทย,泰国
Cambodian police clarified on Saturday that nine Thais who were recently rescued near the Thai-Cambodia border had quarrelled with each other and they were not fleeing from human traffickers as claimed earlier.
Police in Cambodia’s Banteay Meanchey province issued a statement on Saturday in response to allegations from Thai media that all the rescued nine Thai nationals were forced to work illegally as call centre scammers in Poipet.
The city is a Cambodian gambling destination sitting at the crossing point between the two countries.
➤柬埔寨警方否认逃离泰国人的人口贩卖指控
柬埔寨警方周六澄清说，最近在泰柬边境附近获救的九名泰国人彼此发生争吵，他们并不是像之前所说的那样逃离人口贩运者。
柬埔寨班迭棉吉省警方周六发表声明，回应泰国媒体的指控称所有获救的九名泰国国民被迫在波贝从事呼叫中心骗子的非法工作。
柬埔寨警方表示，这九名泰国人在放火烧毁大楼内的一个房间之前发生了争吵，并对试图平息事态的工作人员使用了暴力。
警方称，由于担心受到法律诉讼，这九名泰国国民决定于周一穿过泰国沙缴府Ban Klong Luek边境检查站附近的铁丝网屏障进入泰国，结果导致他们的身体被割伤。
他们补充说，没有发现柬埔寨雇主对逃亡者使用暴力的证据。
然而，一个名为“沙缴省人民网络”的民间社会组织声称收到了约30名受害者的求助电话，这些受害者为了躲避人口贩卖而逃离了这9名泰国人工作的赌场。
该组织的主要成员之一阿玛林·伊亨（Amarin Yiheng）表示，该贩运团伙的头目是一位名叫“阿王（Ah Wang）”的中国公民，他在柬埔寨谋杀、暴力对待泰国劳工，并实施诈骗。
据逃亡的9名泰国人告诉泰国当局，200名泰国人被关押在赌场大楼内，他们在柬埔寨工作期间，如果拒绝拨打诈骗电话，就会受到威胁、殴打，甚至被杀害。他们还声称亲眼目睹泰国受害者被团伙成员枪杀。

Cambodian police deny human trafficking accusations by fleeing Thais
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2023

Cambodian police clarified on Saturday that nine Thais who were recently rescued near the Thai-Cambodia border had quarrelled with each other and they were not fleeing from human traffickers as claimed earlier.

Police in Cambodia’s Banteay Meanchey province issued a statement on Saturday in response to allegations from Thai media that all the rescued nine Thai nationals were forced to work illegally as call centre scammers in Poipet.

The city is a Cambodian gambling destination sitting at the crossing point between the two countries.

Cambodian officials said that they had visited a building in Poipet, where all nine Thais claimed that they had been set on fire, and tried to escape from a call centre gang.

Citing their version, Thai media had reported that the nine Thais had entered Cambodia covertly after being offered jobs at a casino, but found out that they were actually working for a call centre gang at the building.

Following the raid, police reported finding 17 Thai people — 10 women and seven men. They were later taken to the city’s police station for further investigation.

Cambodian police said the nine Thais got into a brawl before setting fire to a room within the building, and resorted to violence against the staff members who tried to calm things down.

Since they feared legal action, the nine Thai nationals decided to enter Thailand by passing through a barbed wire barrier near Ban Klong Luek border checkpoint in Thailand’s Sa Kaeo province on Monday, resulting in cuts to their bodies, police said.

They added that no evidence was found of Cambodian employers using violence against the escapees.

However, a civil society organisation named “People Network in Sa Kaeo province” claimed to have received calls for help from around 30 victims who had fled from the casino where all the nine Thais worked, to escape from human trafficking.

One of the group’s key members, Amarin Yiheng, said that the head of this trafficking ring was a Chinese national named “Ah Wang” and that he had murdered and used violence against Thai labourers in Cambodia, together with committing fraud.

According to what the fleeing nine Thais told Thai authorities, 200 Thai people were being held at the casino building, and while they worked in Cambodia, they were threatened and beaten, even killed, if they refused to make scam calls. They also claimed to have witnessed Thai victims being shot dead by the gang members.