Myanmar militia says it is ready to deport 10,000 cyber scam workers

A Myanmar ethnic militia said on Feb 15 it was preparing to deport 10,000 people linked to cyber scams in the area it controls to Thailand as part of a crackdown on the illicit compounds.

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YANGON - A Myanmar ethnic militia said on Feb 15 it was preparing to deport 10,000 people linked to cyber scams in the area it controls to Thailand as part of a crackdown on the illicit compounds.

Scam compounds have mushroomed in Myanmar's borderlands and are staffed by foreigners who are often trafficked and forced to work, swindling people around the world in an industry that analysts say is worth billions of dollars.

"We have announced (that we will) get rid of all scams from our soil. We are now implementing it," Karen Border Guard Force (BGF) spokesman Naing Maung Zaw told AFP on Feb 15.

"We have made a list and are prepared to transfer about 10,000 people (to Thailand),"" he said.

The deportations would be carried out in groups of 500 a day.