Fourteen Nepali nationals who had been forced into illegal employment at various centres in Myanmar have been rescued and repatriated to Nepal with the assistance of the Royal Thai authorities and the Nepali Embassy in Bangkok.

The rescued individuals were flown to Kathmandu on Wednesday aboard Nepal Airlines flight RA402, the embassy said in a statement.

According to the embassy, 11 of the individuals had been held in different centres in Myanmar’s Myawaddy region, while the remaining three were under the supervision of Thai authorities before being handed over to the embassy.

Since October 19, more than 2,000 people from 28 countries, including 38 Nepalis, entered Thailand from Myanmar’s various scamming centres, the embassy said.

The rescue was part of an ongoing effort to free Nepalis trapped in human trafficking and forced labour situations in Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia. The embassy urged Nepalis to seek foreign employment only through legal channels approved by the government of Nepal and to remain vigilant against fraudulent job offers.

Expressing gratitude to the Thai government and its agencies for their cooperation, the embassy also appealed to the media and the public to help raise awareness about the dangers of illegal foreign employment