Kenyans who had gone to Myanmar to work were ferried back home on Saturday. Some Kenyans were lured into security employment in Myanmar but instead ended up working in scam phone centers in areas held by rebel groups fighting the Myanmar government.
The first 24 Kenyans were released in March as part of a group of 261 foreigners released after months of talks. The returnees recounted the awful experiences they had at the hands of persons they believed would assist them get better jobs.
They complained of being refused pay, sleeping for less than two hours, and receiving continual reprimand.
They claimed to be in physical and mental suffering, and they requested that the government assist them in obtaining medical care.One of the returnees claimed to have falsified his travel documents in order to work as an English instructor in Thailand.
He stated that after arriving at the Thailand airport, he was picked up by a nice car and taken for around eight hours to an unknown destination.The returnee described how he tried to identify their location but was unable to speak owing to a language barrier.
He claims he was taken to an unknown location and not given the work for which he arrived.
”When we reached there. I knew it was all over before it began. We were given the work of online fraud,” he said.
“We were told to steal money. We were told to dupe people and steal from them, if you are unable you would be punished.”
The returnee further added that they were forced to sleep for only one and a half hours throwing them into constant pain.
Another returnee went to Thailand with the promise of a job as a chef, however, when he arrived in the nation, he was assigned to a position that did not exist.
When attempting to bargain for a better job, he was ordered to pay them close to Sh700,000.
“Punishment is there; we have seen people being tortured. Some are beaten up and they are told to sit in the scorching sun for long hours,” he said.
“The highest salary I ever got there is Sh13,000, which cannot even sustain me and my family at home.”
They thanked God for bringing them home to their families safe and sound, despite their anguish.The returnees urged the government should assist Kenyans who are still stuck in Thailand in returning home.
The Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs urged Kenyans against traveling to Myanmar for jobs that appeared to be in Thailand, only to end up in scam complexes in Myanmar.
It said that the trafficking ring utilizes Thailand to attract vulnerable teenagers into rebel-controlled areas of Myanmar.
“Kenyans should be aware that traffickers use Thailand as a trapdoor to lure vulnerable Youth into Myanmar,” the ministry said.
“The Ministry called on Kenyans interested in jobs advertised in Thailand to get in touch with the Ministry or the Kenya Embassy in Bangkok to authenticate any such offers before travelling abroad.
”The 64 Kenyans and more than 30 nationalities who come from as far as South America are in a group of over 7,000 foreigners rescued by two armed groups namely the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) and the Border Guard Force (BDF).
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