14 Moroccans Held Hostage in Myanmar After Job Scam, Diplomats Seek Release

Numbering 14, these Moroccans, victims of job scams in e-commerce, were taken hostage by armed criminal gangs in Myanmar (Burma) as they were heading to Thailand, confirms an authorized source to Le360, assuring that Moroccan diplomacy is doing everything possible to obtain their release. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Moroccans Residing Abroad is closely following the situation," the source said, indicating that the Moroccan embassy in Bangkok has been instructed to take steps with the Thai and Burmese authorities.

The Directorate of Consular and Social Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has exchanged with the families of the kidnapped persons. The Thai embassy in Rabat also received them on May 2. Moroccan, Thai and Burmese authorities are pooling their efforts to free these captive Moroccans. But they could face several difficulties. So far, the exact location of the victims’ detention remains an unknown to be solved. Moreover, the region concerned is controlled by armed rebel groups. The investigations opened by the local judicial authorities have not yet yielded any results.

The same sources indicate that among the kidnapped Moroccans, some would be accomplices of these criminal networks for whom they would play the role of recruiters for a fee. Others would have managed to leave the detention centers in exchange for the payment of a ransom. The victims are subjected to inhuman treatment and death threats, it is detailed. In addition to Moroccans, nationals of other African countries are also targeted by these kidnappings and blackmail.

The African Group of Bangkok, of which the Moroccan embassy is a member, as well as international organizations, including the International Organization for Migration, will soon meet "to invite the Thai government to act to facilitate the release of nationals who are victims of this human trafficking in Myanmar." For its part, the Thai embassy in Rabat recently issued a statement to express the willingness of the Thai authorities to "cooperate" with those of Morocco and other countries concerned by this case.