Scam compounds have mushroomed in Myanmar's borderlands and are staffed by foreigners who are often trafficked and forced to work, swindling their compatriots in an industry analysts say is worth billions. The group from Sri Lanka, Nepal, Malaysia and Russia crossed into Thailand's Tak province, according to the police chief in the city of Mae Sot. They had fled from Myawaddy just across the border, Colonel Pittayakorn Petcharat told AFP.

Myawaddy is controlled by a military-aligned militia and is a hotbed of drug production and online scam outfits, according to observers.

Sri Lanka's embassy in Bangkok had asked Thai authorities for help after it was informed that 32 of its citizens were trapped in Myanmar, said Petcharat. Five Nepalis, one Malaysian and one Russian were also in the group that escaped and arrived in Thailand.

Thai local media reported the group had responded to adverts on social media promising well-paid work but were then subjected to gruelling conditions in a scam centre.

Myanmar's northern border with China was previously a hotbed for online scam centres, often run by militias aligned with the ruling junta. But a sweeping offensive by an alliance of ethnic rebels last year cleared many of the scam centres out. More than 40,000 people suspected of taking part in cyber scams in Myanmar were handed over to China in 2023, Beijing state media said this year.

Local Myanmar media have reported that scam bosses who escaped the offensive have since set up shop further south along the border with Thailand. Last December Myanmar junta chief and Thai military officials agreed to "jointly eradicate online gambling and online scams near Myawaddy", according to Myanmar state media.

I found few selfhosted alternatives, but interested, what one do you using?

Incidental Comics by Grant Snider.

Artist: @gryzlock_comics

Cross-posting from source

Mutts for 11/24/2024.

https://archive.ph/1r8NC

https://academictorrents.com/

☝️ ☝️ ☝️ ☝️ ☝️ ☝️ ☝️ ☝️

Seriously, the SMM Fandom is the world's closest thing to a utopia.

I'm ready to step away from Reddit. I know you can encounter toxic behavior on other platforms too, but I'm just exhausted by the level of negativity there. So, I have two questions for those who have fully transitioned — What prompted your decision to leave? And were you able to get others to join you on Lemmy?

This is a crosspost from the loops community

Summary

Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy reported nearly 500 drone attacks and over 20 missile strikes by Russia in the past week, calling it a “testing ground” for Russian weapons.

Russia launched 460 Shahed drones, produced in domestic factories, which, though cost-effective and easier to neutralize, strain Ukraine’s air defenses.

Recent attacks, including Russia’s use of the Oreshnik ballistic missile, escalate tensions.

Ukraine urges allies for more air defense systems, while debates over supplying Ukraine with long-range missiles and potential NATO membership intensify among Western nations.

geteilt von: https://feddit.org/post/5090792

Source: https://www.instagram.com/cadillac/p/DCzl7ooJLdP/