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Bangkok: More than 1,000 people, mostly Chinese, have fled from Myanmar into Thailand this week, Thai authorities said on Friday, after the Myanmar military raided one of the country’s largest scam centers.

Sprawling cyberscam hubs, where fraudsters swindle victims through online cons, have flourished along Myanmar’s loosely governed border during its years-long civil war.

While some scammers are trafficked into the often-fortified compounds, experts say others work voluntarily, hoping to earn more in the multibillion-dollar illicit industry than they can at home.

Thailand’s Tak provincial office said 1,049 people had crossed from Myanmar into Mae Sot district from Wednesday to Friday morning — up from the 677 who had fled the KK Park scam compound as of Thursday morning.

Nationals from India, Pakistan, Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand and more than a dozen other countries were among them, the office said in a statement.

Thailand’s Immigration Bureau said most of the arrivals were Chinese and men.

Myanmar’s junta said Monday it raided KK Park, located just across the border from Thailand, and seized Starlink satellite Internet devices.

An AFP investigation revealed last week that the use of the devices had grown rapidly at the compounds in recent months.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which operates Starlink, said Wednesday that it had disabled more than 2,500 Starlink Internet devices at Myanmar’s scam centers.

Sawanit Suriyakul Na Ayutthaya, deputy governor of Tak province, told AFP on Friday that authorities believed most of those who had entered Thailand were from KK Park, but they were still investigating.

He said Thursday that the arrivals would be screened to determine whether they were victims of human trafficking.

Otherwise, they could be prosecuted for illegal border crossing, he said.

Footage from public broadcaster Thai PBS on Thursday showed people using foam boxes to float across the river to Thailand.

“I was sleeping when I heard loud knocking and people shouting at us in Chinese,” a Thai woman told the broadcaster. “They were carrying guns.”

Authorities in Tak released an image showing a group of men sitting on the ground beside luggage and a line of Thai security personnel.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday voiced concern over rising Islamophobia worldwide at an interactive dialogue at the United Nations (UN), demanding world action and urging respect for diversity.

The Interactive Dialogue with Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues is an event held within the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee, where states and experts discuss the rights and protections of minority groups.

Recent dialogues have featured discussions on rising Islamophobia, the impact of discriminatory policies for minorities in certain countries, and the need for greater protection and promotion of minority rights. 

Speaking at the dialogue, Saima Saleem, a counsellor at Pakistan’s UN mission, said that respect for diversity and protection of minorities are indispensable for achieving peace, justice and inclusive development.

“We are gravely concerned over the rising tide of Islamophobia, intolerance and right-wing extremism targeting minorities, particularly Muslims worldwide,” she was quoted as saying by Pakistan’s UN mission.

“The weaponization of religion for political ends, the vilification of entire communities, and the systematic marginalization of Muslims in some regions are deeply alarming.”

Pakistan has played a leading role in raising global awareness about Islamophobia through its diplomatic efforts, particularly at the UN and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), highlighting that anti-Muslim sentiment not only undermines social harmony but also fuels extremism and hate crimes.

In 2022, the efforts by Islamabad, along with the OIC, led to the UN’s designation of March 15 as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia, marking a significant step toward global acknowledgment of this issue. Through these efforts, Pakistan continues to champion tolerance, coexistence and the right of Muslims everywhere to practice their faith without fear or prejudice.

Saleem said the “weaponization of religion” and systematic marginalization of minorities not only violate human rights but also endanger inclusive development and international peace.

The collective task of the international community is to transform diversity into strength, and difference into mutual respect, according to the Pakistani representative.

“The international community must act with solidarity and moral clarity to counter these dangerous trends, hold perpetrators accountable, and reaffirm that respect for diversity is a universal obligation, not a selective choice,” she said, pledging that

Islamabad would continue to play its role in promoting understanding, dialogue and peaceful coexistence among faiths and cultures.