Kenya repatriates 119 nationals rescued from Myanmar job scam hubs

ISTANBUL

Kenya has repatriated 119 of its citizens who were trapped in Myanmar after being lured into fraudulent employment schemes, the country's State Department for Diaspora Affairs said on Monday.

The department said in a statement that 198 Kenyans are awaiting repatriation, including 66 in Thailand’s immigration detention center and 129 in shelters in Myanmar, adding that Kenya's Embassy is in contact with three others at a Caritas Catholic safe house in Cambodia.

“86 Kenyans in military shelters initially refused cooperation – demanding government-funded tickets and spreading falsehoods on social media,” the department said.

Online fraud networks operate from fortified compounds in remote parts of Myanmar’s Karen State along the Thai border, luring foreign workers, including Kenyans, with fake job offers and operating with inconsistent backing from armed groups, according to the department.

In September, Myanmar authorities raided scam compounds, triggering clashes with rebel groups and forcing criminals to flee, leaving over 200 Kenyan workers in military shelters in Myawaddy and Shwe Kokko or crossing into Thailand.

While the Kenyan government quickly acted after receiving an initial list of 126 nationals, the diaspora department said seven Kenyans remain pending rebooking following last-minute cancellations.

Since Myanmar’s 2021 coup, which triggered a civil war, scam hubs have spread across the country's poorly regulated border regions.