The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that 17 additional Sri Lankans have been forcibly recruited into cybercrime operations in Myanmar.
According to the ministry, the individuals had travelled on tourist visas before being coerced into working in cybercrime activities. They are being held near the Thailand-Myanmar border in an area marked on Google Maps as a “cybercrime zone.”
The location, situated about 25 kilometres from the city of Myawaddy, is reported to be under the complete control of a terrorist group.
This development comes after a previous group of Sri Lankans who were similarly forced into cybercrime in the same area were rescued following extensive efforts.
Authorities noted that many Sri Lankan youth have been travelling abroad on tourist visas in search of IT-related employment opportunities, leaving them vulnerable to such exploitation.
