Inside the Myanmar Jungle's Cyber Slave Camp; Sri Lankan Man's Escape Exposes Cyber Slave Trade

COLOMBO (News 1st); A harrowing escape from virtual chains has shed light on a brutal cyber slavery operation gripping the Thai-Myanmar border. 

A young Sri Lankan man, who wishes to remain anonymous for safety reasons, has spoken out about his forced labor in a camp where he and others were coerced into online scams.

He is one of the five Sri Lankans who made the daring and terrifying escape from a cyber slave camp operated by a terrorist group near the Thai border in Myanmar.

A chilling discovery on Google Maps has led to the uncovering of a horrific cyber slavery operation holding captive over 50 Sri Lankan youths in a camp dubbed the "Cyber Criminal Area" at the Thailand-Myanmar border.

This remote jungle outpost, 25 kilometers from Myaweddi city in Myanmar, sits under the complete control of a terrorist group. Young Sri Lankans, lured by promises of IT jobs in Thailand, were transported with tourist visas and allegedly sold for $5,000 each to become cyber slaves.

The escape of five Sri Lankans from the camp has shed light on the brutal reality within. 

Forced to impersonate women on social media and ensnare victims in online scams, these captives endured physical and psychological abuse, were deprived of basic necessities, and were subjected to beatings for failing to meet quotas.

Lured by promises of IT jobs in a Thai supermarket, one Sri Lankan victim found himself transported to a remote camp, far from the promised comfort. 

His description paints a chilling picture of a digital sweatshop, where captives like him were forced to impersonate women on social media to ensnare wealthy victims in elaborate online schemes.

"We act like women through Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Tik Tok," he recounted, his voice raw with trauma. "We target people from rich countries, America, Netherlands, Australia. Then, when it comes to video calls, we switch faces with hired women."

According to him, failure to secure a "customer" within nine grueling hours resulted in the denial of basic necessities like food and water.

Physical abuse was also used as a tool of control, as the young man revealed with a tremor in his voice: "They beat me badly with their hands on my face."

But amidst the despair, four young men and a young woman, all Sri Lankans escaped from the brutal cyber slave camp.

Their escape on November 4th, 2023, sheds light on the horrific conditions endured by these captives. 

This ordeal continued for six months after they were tricked into entering the camp through Thailand on April 27th.

While being transported to Laos to be sold to another terrorist group, these five Sri Lankans saw a window of opportunity and seized it. 

"There is a location close to the Thai-Laos border, and we were sold to a group based over there. Four males, along with myself, and another Sri Lankan woman were transported in two separate vans. I was in one with two others, and the girl was in the other van with another Sri Lankan," he recounted.

With around Rs. 100,000/- in had, he had attempted to bribe the driver of the van to secure their freedom.

However, the driver had not accepted the money and refused to release them.

One of them, quick-thinking and determined, seized a small pouch of chili powder hidden amongst their meager belongings. 

In a split second, he lunged forward, flinging the fiery dust into the driver's face to momentarily incapacitate their guard. 

This created a window for the others to fight back, overpowering their captor and gaining control of the vehicle.

A fierce struggle ensued, fueled by years of suppressed hope and the adrenaline of a potential escape.

"We pulled out the driver and beat him mercilessly," said one of the Sri Lankans.

After subduing their captor, they wasted no time. 
Clothes were ripped, passports clutched, and they vanished into the neighborhood bordering the road.

The other Sri Lankan man and woman, who were transported in the other van that sped away after this incident, had also managed to escape. 

The escapees said that the Red Cross assisted them in making their way to the Thailand border.

According to one of the Sri Lankans who escaped, their trip to Thailand was facilitated by a person named Sashika Dilen from Gampaha and coordinated by a person called Prabath Indunil.

He appealed from the Sri Lankan government to institute action against them to prevent others from falling victim to this scam.

One young man from Chilaw, a fishing town in Sri Lanka, who had been deceived into traveling to Myanmar, faced harrowing mistreatment at the hands of the suspected terrorist group. He endured brutal torture involving electric shocks.

"We were auctioned off and then forced to work for a company that demanded we find three Facebook profiles per day," he said revealing how he was trapped by deception.

"Failure to obey meant brutal beatings from their dedicated military unit, a humiliating spectacle meant to cow everyone into submission. The first beating I received involved four poles being broken over my body. They then took me to a prison-like facility where beatings and electrocution continued, all aimed at forcing me to participate in their online scams. After enduring this prolonged torture, I believe I was sold to another group. During transport, I seized my chance and escaped, running for miles until I found a monk who helped me return to Sri Lanka."

The man's escape was fueled not just by desperation, but by a profound sense of guilt. He reveals the tragic aftermath of one scam: "A person I was forced to target took their own life after losing everything. This haunted me and fueled my determination to break free."

His story also sheds light on the broader reach of this operation: "There are Sri Lankan girls trapped in Bangkok jails, held there because they fear escaping and exposing the truth."

The Department of Immigration and Emigration of Sri Lanka has launched an investigation into the human smuggling ring, while the Sri Lankan Embassy in Myanmar is working on rescuing the remaining 56 Sri Lankans reportedly held captive by terrorists.

However, the embassy faces challenges due to the camp's location in an unliberated area under military rule in Myanmar. This underscores the complexities involved in dismantling such illicit operations and freeing vulnerable individuals caught in their clutches.

This incident brings to light the chilling reality of cyber slavery, where young people are lured into fraudulent jobs and then forced to engage in online scams and financial fraud against global targets. Chinese organized crime groups are suspected to be behind these operations, exploiting victims from countries like Sri Lanka for their criminal activities.

Internet users worldwide are facing a growing threat from organized criminal groups operating across Southeast Asia. 

These groups, driven out of China by crackdowns on domestic crime, have set up shop in countries like Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia, utilizing a vast network of trafficked individuals known as "cyber slaves" to carry out sophisticated online scams and financial fraud.

Chinese Exiles, Global Reach: 

A June 2023 report by the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) sheds light on this concerning trend.

Pushed out of China, these criminal groups have found fertile ground in Southeast Asia, establishing havens like Shwe Kokko, a newly built town in Myanmar bordering Thailand. 

This town, initially developed by a Chinese crime ring, now serves as a hub for illegal gambling and a base for vast online fraud operations.

"Pig Butchering": 

The scams employed by these groups are diverse and often cruel. One particularly insidious method, dubbed "pig butchering," involves building long-term online relationships with victims, often of a romantic nature, before "slaughtering" them financially. 

This elaborate con targets not only Chinese nationals but also individuals from countries around the world, including the United States, Europe, and Japan.

Forced Labor and Human Trafficking: 

The report paints a grim picture of the human cost behind these online scams. 

Hundreds of thousands of people, including men, women, and even adolescents, are reportedly trafficked into these operations and forced to work under inhumane conditions. 

Despite their education and skills, these victims are treated as pawns, coerced into perpetrating crimes against unsuspecting individuals worldwide.

The USIP report and a subsequent August 2023 report by the UN Human Rights Office highlight the urgent need for coordinated international action to dismantle these criminal networks and liberate the victims trapped within them.

News 1st's Ranushka Lakmal Kirindigala contributed to this report.