Crime & Courts

Two Japanese Men Detained in Thailand, May Have Been Leaving Scam Base in Myanmar

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
Myawaddy, eastern Myanmar, is seen from the Thai side of the border in January.

By Yuki Sato / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

12:04 JST, March 13, 2025

BANGKOK — Thai police detained two Japanese men in western Mae Sot, which borders Myanmar, on suspicion of staying in Thailand illegally. Police believe that the two men may have been at a base for a fraud operation in Myawaddy in eastern Myanmar, and are investigating the cases, including how they entered and left Myanmar.

The detained men, one in his 20s and the other in his 30s, had both stayed in Thailand for more than a month longer than they were authorized to, police said. According to investigative sources, the two men are believed to have been at the same scam base as a 16-year-old high school student from Aichi Prefecture who was taken into custody in February after being forced to participate in a scam.