BANGKOK, Thailand – The Ministry of Tourism and Sports has confirmed that recent online reports about stranded Taiwanese tourists in Myanmar were misleading and outdated.
Natreeya Taweewong, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, clarified the issue on June 3rd. She responded to viral online reports suggesting that Taiwanese tourists, who traveled through Thailand, were stuck in Myanmar.
The ministry coordinated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Royal Thai Police, and the local office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand to verify facts. They found that the incident occurred back in January.
According to officials of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Thailand or TECO, no deaths were reported, contrary to some online claims. Eight Taiwanese nationals had voluntarily joined a “free” travel package. Later, three of them revealed that they were forced to pay about 300,000 New Taiwan Dollars each to leave a scam center. These three have since returned to Taiwan.
The remaining five individuals are still in Myanmar and, according to TECO officials, have chosen not to return yet.
The resurgence of the news is likely due to recent media interviews with the three returnees, which reignited attention.
The Ministry of Tourism and Sports emphasized it is closely monitoring misinformation to prevent damage to the tourism sector. (NNT)
