Sa kaeo: A director of a Boys' Love (BL) series has revealed a harrowing experience of being smuggled across the Thai-Cambodian border by a call center gang and coerced into scam operations in Poipet. The incident sheds light on a disturbing trend of cross-border scams affecting Thai nationals.
According to Thai News Agency, police and military officers from the Eastern Command escorted the BL series director and his associate to a location in Phan Suek Subdistrict, Aranyaprathet District, Sa Kaeo Province. This sugarcane plantation was reportedly used by the gang to smuggle victims across the border, where they were forced to work as fake account operators using facial recognition technology in Cambodia.
Pol. Maj. Gen. Thitiwat Suriyachai, Deputy Commander of Provincial Police Region 2, explained that this is not an isolated incident. Thai individuals have been consistently duped into working in Cambodia, with call center gangs relying on local Thais to facilitate the illegal crossings. The dry season has made it easier for these crossings to occur through farmlands and orchards in the Khlong Nam Sai and Phan Suek subdistricts. Authorities are intensifying inspections to curb these activities.
Further investigations suggest the involvement of former local government officials in aiding these smuggling operations through Sa Kaeo Province. These officials have been suspended from their duties pending further inquiry.
In response to the scam epidemic, the government has directed telecom providers to dismantle signal towers in high-risk border areas, including Sa Kaeo. However, this measure has sparked concerns among local residents. Many villagers report severe disruptions to communication and online services, which have affected their daily lives and commerce.
Field visits and discussions with residents reveal a growing dissatisfaction with the government's approach. While the intention to curb criminal activities is understood, the execution has led to hardships for innocent civilians. Communication has become impractical, and essential transactions are hindered, while scam calls persist.
Residents initially supported the government's plan, hoping it would reduce scam incidents. However, the weakening of phone signals, particularly near the border and the Rong Kluea market, has rendered phones nearly unusable. The inability to make calls or perform digital transactions has compounded their frustrations, highlighting the inefficacy of the current measures in addressing the root cause of the problem.