Philippine police rescue 29 trafficking victims from gaming operator
Philippine police have rescued 29 Myanmar and Chinese nationals who were allegedly trafficked and forced to work as "online scammers" for a gaming company in the capital Manila, authorities said Friday. It comes amid a crackdown on so-called Philippine offshore gaming operators, or POGOs, following reports of kidnapping, prostitution and murder. POGOs employ mainly Chinese workers and target customers in China where gambling is illegal. Some have been linked to investment fraud. The latest victims - 23 from Myanmar and six from China - were rescued during a raid by police on Thursday, Major General Eliseo Cruz told reporters. There would be "follow-up operations" based on information from the victims, he said, adding that they had worked for companies that pretended to have "legitimate operations of POGO" but were engaged in "illegal activities, particularly in trafficking of persons". Two of the Myanmar victims told police they had arrived in the Philippines in March after being recruited in Dubai to work as "customer service representatives". Their passports were seized and they were forced to work 14 hours a day, chatting online with potential clients and encouraging them...