Jakarta. The Indonesian government is working to repatriate 270 citizens stranded in Myawaddy, Myanmar, after being rescued from online scam syndicates, a Foreign Affairs Ministry official said on Friday.

Judha Nugraha, director of Indonesian citizen protection at the ministry, revealed that thousands of Indonesians have been lured by fraudulent job offers in Thailand, only to find themselves trafficked to Myanmar and forced into virtual slavery as laborers in online scam centers.

According to Judha, approximately 6,800 Indonesians have fallen victim to illegal job scams, ending up in online gambling operations or bogus investment schemes in Myanmar and several other countries over the past few years.

“We still have 270 Indonesian citizens in Myawaddy, Myanmar, and we are making every effort to repatriate them. It’s important to note that some are not just victims of illegal gambling syndicates but also perpetrators themselves,” Judha was quoted as saying by Antara news agency.

Some of the individuals had previously worked for illegal gambling syndicates in the Philippines and Laos for over two and a half years before relocating to Myanmar, he added.

The first phase of repatriation will focus on 92 Indonesian citizens who suffered abductions and torture in Myanmar, Judha said, though he did not provide further details on the timeline.

“In total, around 6,800 Indonesians have been involved in online gambling syndicates across various countries, and the numbers keep growing. Our objective is not only to rescue them but also to prevent this phenomenon from expanding further,” he said.

While Indonesia is preparing to repatriate its citizens, China has been coordinating with Thailand and Myanmar authorities to bring back Chinese nationals caught in similar syndicates.

According to AP News, China has scheduled 16 flights to repatriate 1,041 Chinese nationals, with police escorts. Due to the large number of Chinese citizens involved, Thailand has granted Beijing greater control over their processing and investigations upon their return.