Forced to scam others worldwide, thousands now detained on Myanmar border
Voice of America
People from China, Vietnam and Ethiopia, believed to have been trafficked and forced to work in scam centers, sit with their faces masked while in detention after being released from the centers in Myawaddy district in eastern Myanmar, Feb. 26, 2025. A sign near military checkpoint warns in Thai, English and Chinese of the danger of being trafficked and forced to work in locked scam compounds across the Myanmar border, in Mae Sot, Thailand, Feb. 26, 2025. Thai soldiers provide security for Indonesian nationals being sent home after being forced to work at scam centers in eastern Myanmar in Mae Sot, Thailand on Feb. 27, 2025. People from China, Vietnam and Ethiopia, believed to have been trafficked and forced to work in scam centers, sit with their faces masked while in detention after being released from the centers in Myawaddy district in eastern Myanmar, Feb. 26, 2025. FILE - Alleged scam center workers and victims from China handed over from Myanmar board a plane at Mae Sot Airport in Mae Sot in Thailand's Tak province on Feb. 20, 2025.
Thousands of sick, exhausted and terrified young men and women, from countries all over the world squat in rows, packed shoulder to shoulder, surgical masks covering their mouths and eyes.
A woman uses her cellphone as she walks past a mural painted on the outer wall of the former US Embassy in Tehran, Iran, dubbed the 'Den of Espionage,' on March 8, 2025.
FILE - Laborers work on a construction site in Moscow, March 12, 2021. Thousands of Uzbeks working in Russia now are considering returning home to help with the construction of the "New Tashkent" development projects.
A man runs with the ball in the Henmore Brook during the annual Shrovetide medieval football match played in Ashbourne, England, March 4, 2025. The ball is thrown high above the crowd during the annual Shrovetide medieval football match played in Ashbourne, England, March 4, 2025.
Jaha Dukureh, U.N. Women Goodwill Ambassador for Africa speaks at the U.N. Commemoration event of the International Women's Day at the U.N. General Assembly Hall, March 7, 2025 in New York.
FILE - Followers of jailed Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Ocalan hold up a poster of him in Diyarbakir, Turkey, Feb. 27, 2025.
FILE - A Ukrainian serviceman patrols a street next to buildings damaged during fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces in the Ukrainian-controlled town of Sudzha in Russia's Kursk region, Aug. 16, 2024.
FILE - Somali women who fled drought-stricken areas build shelters near Mogadishu, Somalia, Feb. 4, 2022. International Women's Day on March 8, 2025, honors women worldwide for their resilience amid conflict. This year's theme calls for action that unlocks equal rights for all.
FILE - An observer looks at a voting machine that is to be used in future elections, in Yangon, Malaysia, on Sept. 5, 2023. Myanmar's junta chief said the warring country would hold an election in December 2025 or January 2026, the first since the military staged a coup in 2021.
FILE - A farmer carryies paddy from a field, on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, India, on Nov. 19, 2021. Analysts expect agricultural products to be a sticking point in negotiations between the U.S. and India over lowing trade barriers in 2025.
Crowds attend a demonstration marking International Women's Day in Istanbul, Turkey, on March 8, 2025. Demonstrators chant slogans during a protest marking International Women's Day in Istanbul, Turkey, on March 8, 2025.
A tree uprooted by high winds lies in the rubble of a structure in Elanora, Australia, as Cyclone Alfred passed near the Gold Coast on March 8, 2025. A man walks through the central business area of Brisbane, Australia, on March 8, 2025, as Cyclone Alfred crossed the southeast Queensland coast.
FILE - Protesters, predominantly Houthi supporters, demonstrate in solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, in Sanaa, Yemen, on Feb. 14, 2025.
South Korea's impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol reacts outside the Seoul detention center after his release, in Uiwang, South Korea, March 8, 2025.