NAIROBI, Kenya – Twenty-eight Kenyans have been rescued from human trafficking rings in Myanmar, where they had been forced to commit online scams, the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs has confirmed.
The rescue, which took place in two separate operations, was facilitated by the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) and Myanmar’s Border Guard Force (BGF).
On February 12, 24 Kenyans were among 261 foreigners released following months of delicate negotiations led by the Kenyan Embassy in Thailand.
On February 18, another 46 Kenyans were freed, though they remain in Myanmar awaiting transfer to Thai authorities.
The victims, like hundreds of other foreign nationals, were trafficked into Myanmar under false promises of lucrative job opportunities, only to be coerced into online fraud schemes.
These included identity theft, phishing, romance scams, and cryptocurrency fraud.
Many were held in scam compounds located in rebel-controlled territories, making their rescue particularly challenging.
STATEMENT ON THE RESCUE AND RELEASE OF 28 KENYANS FROM SCAM COMPOUNDS IN MYANMAR
Additionally, the ministry revealed that four other Kenyans managed to escape into Thailand on February 8, where they were rescued by civilians and handed over to security authorities.
The group is now undergoing immigration processing before being repatriated.
The government is warning Kenyans against falling for fraudulent overseas job offers, especially those advertised as opportunities in Thailand, which traffickers are using as a gateway to Myanmar.
It urged job seekers to verify employment offers with the ministry or the Kenyan Embassy in Bangkok before traveling.
The latest rescue underscores the growing threat of human trafficking networks luring unsuspecting victims into forced labor in scam operations across Southeast Asia.