Opposition proposes border sealing to combat call-centre gangs

Opposition proposes border sealing to combat call-centre gangs
An opposition MP on Tuesday urged the government to secure the borders by establishing special monitoring zones to prevent foreign call-centre and human-trafficking gangs from using Thailand as a transit point.

The proposal was made by People’s Party MP Rangsiman Rome, chairman of the House Committee on State Security, Border Affairs, National Strategies, and Reforms.

Rangsiman said his House panel invited representatives from security agencies, including the Royal Thai Police, to testify on 9 January. He expressed disappointment upon learning from these agencies that the Pheu Thai-led government lacks clear operational plans to address foreign criminal gangs using Thailand as a transit hub.

In the absence of a master plan, Rangsiman noted that the government has been addressing these issues on a case-by-case basis. For instance, he highlighted the case of a Chinese actor who was lured to Thailand and subsequently trafficked across the border to work for a call-centre gang. While the government intervened in that particular case, many similar cases have not received attention.

Rangsiman was referring to the case of Chinese actor Xingxing (real name Wang Xing), who went missing from Tak’s Mae Sot district, near the Myanmar border, on January 3. Authorities located Xingxing in Myanmar on January 7 and safely transported him back to Bangkok. His disappearance gained widespread attention on social media after his girlfriend sought assistance from agencies in both Thailand and China.

On Tuesday, Rangsiman revealed that he had spent over five hours questioning representatives of security agencies, who admitted they had no comprehensive strategy for tackling the call-centre gang problem.

He emphasised that foreign call-centre gangs have severely tarnished Thailand’s reputation. "They use Thailand's image to lure victims and then exploit our country as a transit point to neighbouring countries," Rangsiman said.

He proposed designating certain border areas, where call-centre gangs frequently traffic their victims, as special monitoring zones. He suggested that foreigners should not be allowed to cross the border at these zones without valid justification.

Rangsiman also recommended restricting the sale of electricity and broadband Internet to areas near the border, where call-centre gangs operate. He pointed out that some gangs have started using Starlink satellite Internet services, operated by SpaceX, and urged the government to seek SpaceX's cooperation in restricting its use by such groups.