Kenya repatriates over one hundred of its citizens trapped in Myanmar

(MENAFN) Kenya has successfully repatriated 119 of its citizens who were stranded in Myanmar after falling victim to fraudulent employment schemes, the country’s State Department for Diaspora Affairs announced on Monday.

The department noted that 198 Kenyans are still awaiting return, with 66 held in Thailand’s immigration detention centers and 129 sheltered in Myanmar. Additionally, Kenya’s Embassy is assisting three others located in a Caritas Catholic safe house in Cambodia.

“86 Kenyans in military shelters initially refused cooperation – demanding government-funded tickets and spreading falsehoods on social media,” the statement added.

The department explained that online fraud networks operate from heavily guarded compounds in remote areas of Myanmar’s Karen State near the Thai border. These operations lure foreign workers, including Kenyans, with false job offers and enjoy inconsistent support from armed groups.

In September, raids by Myanmar authorities on these scam hubs sparked clashes with rebel factions, forcing the criminals to flee and leaving over 200 Kenyan workers stranded in military shelters in Myawaddy and Shwe Kokko or crossing into Thailand.

The Kenyan government acted promptly upon receiving an initial list of 126 nationals, though seven remain pending rebooking due to last-minute cancellations.

Since Myanmar’s 2021 coup, which ignited a civil conflict, scam operations have proliferated across the country’s poorly regulated border regions.

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