Authorities in Mon State have been unable to repatriate more than 600 people arrested for involvement in online scam operations (known in Chinese as Zhàpiàn). They are still being held inside township administration halls, according to sources close to the State Administration Team.
During the last week of November, more than 600 scam workers were arrested in Paung, Bilin, Kyaikto, and Thaton townships. As of today, 101 are being held in Paung Township Hall, around 100 in Kyaikto Township Hall, and more than 400 in Thaton Township Hall.
Although authorities have checked their IDs, documents, and other personal information, officials have not given any instructions about repatriation procedures, the source said.
“Police said they are only looking for the scam leaders and will take action against them first. Since the leaders are not among the detainees, they don’t know where to send the remaining people. Nothing has been decided yet. Some of them are even walking around near the township hall, buying snacks or eating at nearby restaurants,” the source explained.
The detained scam workers include both Myanmar nationals and Chinese citizens.
Reports also indicate that they are not being strictly confined inside the township halls and are allowed to move freely around the area.
Local residents worry that former scam workers may establish a base in their communities and restart online fraud operations using different methods.
A resident from Thaton said, “There are more than 400 people here. It’s almost two weeks now. If they keep them here without taking any action, it will affect local people. We are worried they will settle here and start doing scam work again. Some have already gone out in small groups, and police didn’t catch them.”
Sources also said that some Myanmar scam workers who fled from Shwe Kokko have been hiding in hotels and motels in Mon State, while others have already returned to their hometowns.
According to the military junta, foreign nationals arrested in Myanmar are being transferred to their respective countries through Thailand under legal procedures.
From January 30 to November 29, 2025, authorities detained 12,915 foreign nationals in Myanmar, and 10,029 of them have already been repatriated, according to an official statement from the junta’s Information Department.
Meanwhile, the Karen National Union (KNU) announced that between November 23 and 28, it rescued 782 scam victims from the Minletpan scam compound and handed them over to the Thai authorities.
