Man busted for trafficking forced Vietnamese labor to Myanmar

Diep Van Minh, 33, a native of the northern province of Bac Giang, is now under investigation for "organizing and brokering for others to flee abroad illegally" as per the Penal Code.

According to Bac Giang police, Minh belongs to a gang that sources people from Vietnam who want to work abroad. The gang uses social networks to reach out to such people.

The ring tells the would-be employees that they will be brought to Thailand for work.

However, the truth is that once they entered Thailand, the laborers were smuggled into Myanmar, where they were taken to a company owned and run by Chinese people.

After that, they were held hostage and forced to sign a contract that did not specify their job.

They were then forced to contact and swindle other people in Vietnam using phones provided by the gang.

Every day, each laborer must defraud at least ten other Vietnamese people using techniques taught to them by the group. The money was transferred via online accounts.

Any laborers who failed to work were beaten, electrocuted, locked up and left to starve.

In order to return home, the captives must work for a full six months and pay the ring VND150 million (US$6,100), as well as an additional fee paid to the members of the ring who would take them back home.

The arrest of Minh came after police received information accusing him of trafficking people into forced labor on Oct. 9.