Advertisement
Exclusive | Survivors of Myanmar’s scam mills talk torture, death – and the battle to escape
- Footage smuggled out of the scam gangs’ crime hubs shows electrocutions, beatings and people handcuffed, blindfolded and forced to sleep in a pile
- There’s no central government law enforcement to intervene – as rumours swirl of egregious forms of abuse ‘going under the radar’
Reading Time:4 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
17
This story was produced in partnership with the Pulitzer Center.
Advertisement
*The names of all the victims have been changed throughout and some details omitted to prevent identification.
Those in charge of Myanmar’s scam centres don’t want the world to see what’s going on inside. Phones are confiscated upon arrival and work devices are wiped before anyone leaves, as scam bosses go to great lengths to hide their crimes.
Jane and Max, two Filipinos forced to work for one of the criminal outfits along Myanmar’s border with Thailand, were made to wait an additional 10 days before their eventual release in early July to allow their wounds to heal.
“They held us because of our bruises,” Jane said, showing scars on her back and shoulders. “They didn’t want anyone to see.”
Advertisement
Despite these cover-up efforts, evidence of widespread and severe abuse is mounting.
Each and every second is like torture in here
Advertisement