25 Sri Lankans rescued from cybercrime centres in Myanmar

Twenty-five Sri Lankan nationals who had been trafficked to cybercrime centres in Myawaddy, Myanmar, were rescued and repatriated to Sri Lanka. 

The operation was coordinated by the Embassy and Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka in Bangkok in close collaboration with the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment, and Tourism of Sri Lanka, as well as the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Myanmar. 

Ambassador Wijayanthi Edirisinghe and embassy officials engaged with Thai authorities, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Social Development, National Security Council, Tak Province officials, and Immigration authorities, to facilitate the necessary clearances and ensure the safe return of the rescued nationals. 

The Mission expressed gratitude to the Governments of Thailand and Myanmar for their cooperation, and acknowledged support from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and local NGOs in Mae Sot, Thailand, for assistance with air travel and other logistical arrangements.