Border Patrol Ordered to Intercept at Trat Border as Foreign Victims Escape 'Tmouda' Detention Camp

Deputy Police Chief Pol. Gen. Thatchai Pitaneelabut and his team arrived by helicopter at the Marine Border Patrol unit in Trat to closely monitor the border situation after officials controlled 10 foreign nationals (6 Vietnamese and 4 Chinese) who risked their lives escaping torture from a call center gang in the Tmouda area of Cambodia. The team investigated the border area, receiving a briefing lasting over 1.5 hours and personally interrogating the 10 victims. Initial information revealed extreme violence within the Chinese community in Tmouda, forcing these victims to escape. Pol. Gen. Thatchai reported that the scammer gang's operational base is located directly opposite Ban Tha Lueang in Trat province. The area consists of 2-4 story buildings divided into three major zones, with an estimated thousands of workers from various nationalities including Vietnamese, Chinese, Indonesian, Filipino, and Bangladeshi workers being trapped and held against their will. The Deputy Police Chief noted that the escapees could not endure the torture and believed more groups would attempt to flee into Thailand. He ordered integrated surveillance along the border with marine units. Preliminary investigations showed no Thai nationals among the victims. The National Police Office will expedite international coordination, carefully screen potential human trafficking cases, and take strict legal action, with military units handling border area security and police supporting investigation and screening.