Human trafficking is a serious crime and a violation of human rights that involves the exploitation of people through coercion, fraud, or force.
It can take various forms, including sex trafficking, labor trafficking, and forced marriage, and it can affect individuals of any age, gender, or nationality.
This time, the police managed to catch an organized human trafficking gang, after they managed to track three young girls after they left Thailand's Suvarnabhumi Airport using a Myanmar Airways International airline to Mandalay International Airport in Myanmar.
They were found during a joint inspection of international departures at Mandalay International Airport by the commander of the 11th Anti-Trafficking Police Force of Mandalay, as well as the Mandalay International Airport duty personnel, when they conducted checks on outbound passengers, which enabled them to identify the victims.
When the victims were taken to the office and interrogated, the young girls said that they were organized to be brought to China to become Chinese wives using Facebook and TikTok.
After examining the phones and the communication method the girls used with the traffickers, the authorities successfully rescued 11 more young women from a three-story building on 64 (D) Street, between 115 and 116 Streets in Pyigyitakun Township.
These women were also being organized to marry Chinese men.
The investigation led to the arrest of Daw Nan Sai Kham, also known as Mar Mar, the gang's leader.
Reports indicate that she had previously sent young women to a Chinese-owned company in Ruili town. However, due to a low quota, she turned to WeChat to connect with other human traffickers, including Ma May Htet Naing Oo, alias Ma Htet, Maung Chit Htoo, and Ma Phyo Phyo Wai.
Together, they formed a gang to recruit girls for marriage to Chinese men and rented the three-story building in Mandalay for their operations.
The young women were gathered and controlled at that location, before they were about to be trafficked, sources said.
Ma May Htet Naing Oo, also known as Ma Htet, along with Chit Htoo and his wife Ma Phyo Phyo Wai, organized and selected the girls online through Facebook and TikTok, then delivered them to their rented residence.
They enlisted Ma Zin Thu Khaing to monitor and keep watch of the young women, attend to their needs while their stay, during which the issuance of passports and marriage visas were planned and directed by the gang's leader, Mar Mar.
Investigations revealed that Mar Mar had arranged for Gao Fengying, Chinese national Lin Jian, and his mother Li Manfen, who traveled to Mandalay from China, to visit Myanmar.
The young women were lured into becoming Chinese brides by searching for job opportunities through Facebook and TikTok, hoping to improve their lives.
It was discovered that their transportation route previously led them through border areas to become brides for Chinese nationals, and this time, they were about to be trafficked to China via Thailand.
Following the bust, cases have been opened against Daw Nan Sai Kham, Chit Htoo (arrested), Ma Phyo Phyo Wai (arrested), Gao Fengying (arrested), Lin Jian (arrested), and Li Manfen (arrested).
When the news broke, the police is after Ma May Htet Naing Oo and Ma Zin Thu Khaing, both of whom are still at large.
It's later reported that the gang could be affiliated with the National Unity Government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar.
Or also called NUG, it's a Myanmar government in exile formed by the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH), a group of elected lawmakers and members of parliament ousted in the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état.
The State Administration Council (SAC)—the country's ruling military junta—considers NUG illegal and a terrorist organization, while the NUG designated the Tatmadaw and its affiliated organizations as terrorist organizations under Section 3 of Myanmar’s Counter-Terrorism Law.
is primarily targeting young women who participated in the Spring Revolution.
According to military intelligence, NUG leaders are believed to be selling the young girls abroad under the guise of education and training, while also exploiting the girls who trust them and are joining the PDF (People’s Defense Forces) to traffic them to other countries.
Human trafficking happens due to various reasons, which include and not limited to: economic factors, the demand for cheap labor and services, a well-organized crime gangs, war and conflicts, social and cultural factors, and more.
And as for why victims keep on coming, is because many of them are desperate for a better life. This is usually used by human traffickers to lure their victims, tricking them through manipulation and deception.
Since many of the victims are blinded by the promises, they tend to have a lack of awareness.
Not to mention, many of the victims are even forced by their own family, which led victims into situations where they feel they have no choice but to comply, even if it leads to trafficking.
Those who fell for the trap, often live in fear and coercion.
Victims often feel they cannot escape due to fear of violence, threats against their families, or a lack of access to help.