Thai jobseekers warned against working illegally in Laos SEZ

Scammers are luring Thai nationals with attractive job offers in the Golden Triangle SEZ, located in Laos’s Bokeo province, but the victims often end up working illegally and suffering physically and mentally, the Thai mission in Vientiane said in a statement available on Thursday.

After crossing the border illegally into Laos, Thai jobseekers were made to sign contracts in a foreign language. They were forced to work illegal jobs they were not looking for, such as making fraudulent phone calls, scamming victims for money transfers, or working as prostitutes.

When they failed to meet the targeted revenue, their employers threatened them with physical assault while detaining them and seizing personal documents. Some of the victims were sold to other employers, according to the embassy.

The Golden Triangle SEZ operates largely beyond the reach of the Lao government, Radio Free Asia said in its report last December. The report quoted a United Kingdom-based non-governmental organisation as calling the Laotian SEZ “a lawless playground, catering to the desires of visiting Chinese gamblers and tourists”.

The embassy urged Thai residents living in border areas to take precautions when offered attractive jobs in the SEZ. It warned that they could be imprisoned and fined by Laotian authorities for illegal entry.

Those seeking assistance may contact the Thai mission in Vientiane by calling (+856)20 5551 2228 or emailing [email protected].

Last week, Cambodian authorities handed over to Thai officials a group of Thai nationals rescued from Chinese call-centre scammers.

One of those rescued told Thai police she had been lured to work for a Chinese call-centre gang based in Cambodia’s Sihanoukville town. She claimed that after refusing to do the job, she was drugged and blood was drawn from her body although she was rescued before the gang could remove her internal organs for sale.