Myanmar has sentenced 18 Nepalis to one year in prison for working in an online scamming center (telecom fraud and online gambling). They worked in the illegally operating scamming centers in Shwe Kok and KK Park in Myawaddy region.

According to Nepali Ambassador to Myanmar Harishchandra Ghimire, 18 people have been imprisoned in Myanmar's Fin, which is near the Thai border.

'We have received a letter sentencing 495 foreign nationals, including 18 Nepalis, to one year in prison. These Nepalis have been in jail for two months,' he told Ikantipur over the phone, 'We have not received detailed information about this.'

Foreign nationals who were held hostage and forced to work in Myanmar's online scamming center were being rescued and sent back. However, this is the first time that 18 people have been sentenced to one year in prison.

Ambassador Ghimire informed that he has requested time to communicate with the concerned authorities at the official level to get detailed information on this matter. 'Efforts are being made to understand the basis on which they were kept in jail,' he said.

The rescue was being carried out by a joint effort between Thailand and Myanmar from Myanmar's online scamming center. The Nepali embassies in Myanmar and Thailand were facilitating it.

According to the embassy, ​​it is not yet certain how many Nepalis are still in these online scamming centers. 68 people have been rescued in the fiscal year 2080/81, 156 in the fiscal year 2081/82 and 144 in the current fiscal year so far. Of these, 17 to 41 years old. They have been involved in the scamming centers for two to 18 months, according to the embassy.

The victims had reached Myanmar by applying for jobs advertised as specialists, digital marketing or customer service representatives. “We were legally entered and taken to K-K Park. Upon reaching there, our passports were taken away and we were forced to work under the watchful eye of strict security personnel,” one victim told Kantipur.