World

A total of some 7,000 foreign nationals have been rescued from call-centre scam gangs in Myanmar where they had been forced to work since last month, according to Thai security sources.

The operation followed an urgent meeting on February 21 to discuss operational plans to eradicate call centre scam gangs.

Pol Lt Gen Yingyos Thepchamnong, commissioner of the Provincial Police Region 2, on February 23 announced the “Aran 68 Seal Border” operation, targeting illegal migrants, scam centres and transnational criminals.

To date, among the 260 individuals from 20 countries who have been rescued from call centres in Myanmar, 258 have been identified as trafficking victims.

The Myanmar authorities on February 18 detained 273 foreign nationals from scam compounds along the border with Thailand as part of a crackdown on illegal online activities.

The North of Thailand is grappling with a surge in wildfires, with 401 hotspots detected across 17 provinces, the Region 3 Forest Fire Control Centre said on February 13.

Thailand is expected to welcome 3.5 million foreign tourist arrivals in February, a 5% increase year-on-year, with all major markets surging between 2% and 20%.

A US military-contracted plane crashed in Maguindanao del Sur province, southern the Philippines, on February 6, killing all four people on board, the US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) confirmed.

Timor-Leste was recognised as an ASEAN observer state and joined the ASEAN Regional Forum in 2005 before officially applying for membership on March 4, 2011.

Cambodia welcomed 6.7 million foreign visitors in 2024, reflecting a nearly 23% increase from 5.45 million in 2023.

With around 3 million hectares of mangroves of various types, Indonesia is well positioned for carbon offsets and trading.

Indonesia aims to build nuclear power plants for cleaner energy, Presidential Special Envoy for Climate and Energy Hashim Djojohadikusumo said at a recent energy forum.