KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 24 — Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan has said Malaysia will not issue a travel advisory for citizens travelling to Thailand and Myanmar, despite concerns over job scam syndicates operating in both countries.

This comes after reports of Malaysians being deceived by fraudulent job offers and subsequently forced to work in scam centres in these countries, lured by promises of high-paying employment opportunities.

In a written parliamentary reply, Mohamad said the decision to issue a travel advisory must consider Malaysia’s close bilateral ties with Thailand and Myanmar as neighbouring nations.

“For the Dewan Rakyat’s further information, the Malaysian government has not issued an official travel warning or advisory as awareness campaigns are still being actively conducted within the Malaysian community.

“Instead, the government will address this issue through all existing platforms, including leveraging Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025 to seek a resolution. To demonstrate ASEAN’s commitment to tackling job scam syndicates, human trafficking, and online fraud, these issues were discussed during the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat held on January 18-19 in Langkawi,” he said.

Mohamad explained that most scam syndicates operate in northern Myanmar along the borders with Thailand and China. These areas, he said, are not controlled by the Myanmar government but are instead governed by various armed ethnic groups. Thailand, he added, primarily serves as a transit country for syndicates transporting foreign nationals into Myanmar for work.

“In this regard, the Malaysian government, through our embassies in Yangon, Myanmar, and Bangkok, Thailand, maintains regular contact and close cooperation with local authorities to assist in rescuing and repatriating Malaysian victims,” he said.

Mohamad was responding to a question from Sibu MP Oscar Ling, who had asked for the number of Malaysian citizens trapped in Myanmar and Thailand by job scam syndicates, including statistics by state, and whether the government would issue an official travel advisory for these countries.

The minister said that as of January 21, 2025, the Malaysian government had rescued and repatriated 114 Malaysians involved in job scam syndicates from Myanmar and 157 from Thailand. He added that the government, through its diplomatic missions in both countries, is working with local authorities to locate 140 Malaysians in Myanmar and 14 in Thailand.

“I wish to clarify that some of them may not wish to return to Malaysia as they have assumed senior positions within these scam syndicates, such as managers. Additionally, there is a possibility that some individuals previously reported missing by their next of kin may have returned to Malaysia without informing the ministry or the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM),” he said.

Mohamad revealed that Johor recorded the highest number of Malaysian citizens involved in job scam cases at 19 per cent.

This was followed by Selangor (13 per cent), Sarawak (12 per cent), Kuala Lumpur (12 per cent), Perak (11 per cent), Penang (9 per cent), Sabah (6 per cent), Negri Sembilan (5 per cent), Kedah (3 per cent), Pahang (3 per cent), Melaka (2 per cent), Kelantan and Terengganu (1 per cent each), and Perlis (0.2 per cent).