Cyber slavery

• Entrapped in a huge building with computers, the duty of those kept there was to make contact with rich foreigners through their social media platforms like Whatsapp, Facebook, Instagram, etc, by pretending to be sex workers

In the early 2022, when the entire country was going through a ‘hell’ without essential goods, days long queues to buy fuel and gas and there was no food, 43-year-old Nisthana Coorey (real name withheld) decided to leave the country for good. An agent introduced by a friend promised him a job in Thailand, and it was to be the post of a sales officer. Having worked in the tourism industry for a long time, Coorey was glad that he could work in one of the countries where millions of tourists visit every year. Before he left Sri Lanka he also had an interview where he had to record a video presentation to prove his English conversational competency.  

The father with two young children was glad about the promised foreign employment as the agent even provided the air ticket to Bangkok from where he would be picked up to start his job from the day following his arrival. Coorey was relieved that he managed to escape the crisis the country and its people were going through and thought at least his family would be able to manage basic essentials with the dollars he was going to send. Coorey was leaving the Katunayake International Airport with another young Sri Lankan who was also promised a similar job. Getting off from the flight, Coorey and the other Sri Lankan were driven on a long journey at night. The driver could not speak in English and all communications had to be done with another contact who communicated via Whatsapp messages. Coorey questioned him as to why he was driving so far away from Bangkok (the tourist city) to work in a tourism related job, but this was ignored by the contact. After travelling for many hours of the journey, Coorey realized that he was crossing a river which looked like a boarder of two different countries. Having reached a place with huge buildings in the middle of a jungle, Coorey was asked to take a rest on the following day. On the second day, as he was getting ready to start his new job he was unaware that his job was to be a cyber-slave in Myanmar run by some Chinese. 

•  Human Trafficking, Human Smuggling, and Maritime Crimes Division of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has arrested a Chinese national and three Sri Lankans for the alleged involvement of the racket

“I was one of the first to go from Sri Lanka and when I see the news circulating on media now I realized this was the same place where I worked.” More than a year later Coorey who was fortunate to return safely in December 2022 is glad that he saved his life and came back to Sri Lanka.

“Our job was to impersonate as women and find clients in some of the rich countries. There were many Indians, Bangladeshis, Indonesian and a number of Latin Americans as well. I met many who were tortured for various reasons including trying to escape,” Coorey says adding that he still has nightmares due to the mental trauma that he went through. 

“I met one person who was beaten up after hanging him with his hands.  There was another who was denied food and he had survived with water in the bathroom,” Coorey narrated with a trembling voice. 
“I was fortunate as the Sri Lankan Embassy intervened and secured my release. That was also initiated with the involvement of the Indian government to free a large number of Indians who were trapped there,” he explained. 
Entrapped in a huge building with computers, the duty of those kept there was to make contact with rich foreigners through their social media platforms like Whatsapp, Facebook, Instagram, etc, by pretending to be sex workers. 
They are also forced to communicate through Gay Apps and pretend to be gay. Those entrapped had also been given targets to connect with a number of clients, and when the targets were not met, physical punishment had been enforced. 

At present nearly 55 Sri Lankans including both male and females have been trapped in the area called Golden Triangle, bordering Myanmar, Thailand and Laos, and nearly 5000 US dollars had been demanded by the Chinese running the cybercriminal area.

“Paying Cyber Criminals Not A Wise Decision” 

“In my opinion I don’t think we should pay money to a criminal gang which has no connection to a legitimate government. What if these Sri Lankans were not released after paying the money,” questioned Damith Aluge from the Honorary Consulate of Sri Lanka to Laos. Mr. Aluge had been involved in releasing a number of Sri Lankans trapped in the Laos boarders of the cybercrime area.
“We need to get together diplomatic mission and other international agencies to release the group of Sri Lankans,” he said. 

“This is a humanitarian situation. We were able to save the group from the Laos region with the support of UNHRC and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). 
Aluge had to personally get involved in the mission and at one point he had to visit the area where the Sri Lankans were entrapped. 

Almost all the Sri Lankans, mostly young, have come on tourist visa and they were aware it was illegal. But due to the financial constrains they were forced seek the foreign employment,” the officer from the Honourary Consulate of Sri Lanka said. 
“The worst situation is that some Sri Lankans were even willing to continue working in this terrible place provided they are get paid,” he explained. 

Mr. Aluge also said that some of those entrapped were graduates from Sri Lanka and they had been completely mislead. 
Investigating into the international human trafficking network, the Human Trafficking, Human Smuggling, and Maritime Crimes Division of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has arrested a Chinese national and three Sri Lankans for the alleged involvement of the racket.

“The Chinese Embassy had been updated on the involvement of the suspected Chinese national and his arrest. The Chinese suspect by the name Huang Fuxi had come to Sri Lanka on a highway construction project and later got together with some Sri Lankans and started the human trafficking smuggle,” a CID Officer said. 
In addition to the Chinese national, three Sri Lankans Karunaratne Ruwapathirana, Udayakumara Abeysinghe Wijesekara and Anura Samaranayake had been arrested and they had been remanded by the Negombo Magistrate’s Court under seven cases. 

The special CID Unit was also in search of one Niroshan Shashika Dilan from Amunukumbura in Wathuragama in connection with human trafficking, but the suspect had fled the area. The CID requests public assistance arrest him and requests anyone who knows the whereabouts of the suspect to call on CID hotline 0112 514 374.

Damith Aluge

Don’t Fall Prey To Foreign Jobs 

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Foreign Ministry urged Sri Lankans not to fall prey to foreign employment opportunities which are offered without the proper channel and without registering through the Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau.  

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been requesting all Sri Lankan nationals, seeking job opportunities in the Southeast Asia region not to fall prey to human trafficking and criminal syndicates who offer large salaries without proper job contracts and work visas,” Ministry said in a statement. 
It is learnt that the job offers are mainly in the IT sector and Sri Lankan nationals travel to Myanmar using visit visas, instead of work visas and contracts. These workers travel to Myanmar, without registering with the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment.

The Foreign Ministry last week announced that the rescue and repatriation of Sri Lankan victims of human trafficking in Myanmar was underway. 
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is aware of the situation that has been evolving in Myanmar where Sri Lankan nationals have become victims of human trafficking for cybercrimes.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Myanmar have continued to actively seek the assistance and cooperation of the Myanmar authorities on the safe repatriation of Sri Lankan nationals who have been trafficked to Myanmar. It may be noted that this situation has been an ongoing issue since 2022.As a result of the rescue and repatriation efforts spearheaded by the Consular Affairs Division of the Foreign Ministry in collaboration with the Sri Lankan Embassy in Myanmar and the Myanmar Government authorities, from time to time, 32 victims were rescued in the 2022/2023 period,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. 

As per the information available to the Ministry, at the moment, 56 Sri Lankan nationals are being held in the Myawaddy area in Myanmar. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is taking all possible steps to liaise with Myanmar Government authorities and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to resolve this issue. The Myanmar Government has informed of difficulties in accessing that area due to the prevailing situation.

The Ministry has already taken action to inform and continuously engage with all stakeholders including, the National Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force (NAHTTF), Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Human Trafficking, Smuggling Investigation and Maritime Crime Division, and the Department of Immigration & Emigration regarding this issue.

On 19 December 2023, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador in Myanmar Janaka Bandara met Home Affairs Minister of Myanmar Lieutenant General Yar Pyae, and Director General, Consular Affairs of the Foreign Ministry of Myanmar, U. Aung Kyaw Oo, in Nay Pyi Taw. During the meeting the Ambassador requested for urgent assistance from the Myanmar Government to rescue the Sri Lankan nationals who were trafficked, the Ministry stated.