Authorities have begun a major operation to bring home people apparently forced to work in scam centers in Myanmar. About 200 Chinese are scheduled to be returned to their country on Thursday.



They were seen in the Thai-Myanmar border town of Mae Sot boarding airplanes headed to China.



Over 1,200 people, mostly Chinese, were freed from facilities in a number of locations, including Myawaddy in eastern Myanmar. Officials plan to transfer them to Thailand in phases.



Since the 2021 coup in Myanmar, groups running scam centers have become active near the Thai border, where the military's control is weak. There are believed to be thousands of foreigners forced to run scams in Myanmar.