20 Indonesian trafficking victims freed in Myanmar

By NINIEK KARMINI
Associated Press

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian officials say they freed 20 of their nationals who were trafficked to Myanmar as part of a cyber scam, amid an increase in human trafficking cases in Southeast Asia. Indonesia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement on Sunday that its embassy in Yangon with help from local networks had managed to release the victims from Myawaddy township and brought them to the Thai border. Officials said fake recruiters had offered the victims high-paying jobs in Thailand but instead trafficked them to Myawaddy to perform cyber scams for crypto websites or apps. The situation drew a national outcry in Indonesia after a video made by one of the victims went viral on social media last month.