BANGKOK, Thailand – Police General Thatchai Pitanilabud, Thailand’s National Police Chief and Commander of the International Anti-Scam and Human Trafficking Syndicate Command Center (IAC), convened a meeting with representatives from 10 ASEAN countries and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to coordinate joint operations through the IAC War Room, July 29.
Joining the meeting at the IAC War Room were Deputy Commander of the Tourist Police, Police Major General Pongsayam Meekhanthong, diplomatic representatives from Bangladesh, Japan, Laos, Myanmar, South Africa, South Korea, the United Kingdom, the United States, Vietnam, Singapore, and officials from UNODC.
Police General Thatchai explained that the Thai government has ordered a crackdown on call center scam gangs with clear results expected within three months, emphasizing international cooperation as a key part of the strategy. This led to the establishment of the IAC War Room at the Royal Thai Police Headquarters, bringing together 10 countries and the UNODC to share information and coordinate against transnational call center scam and human trafficking operations.
The collaborative nature of the IAC War Room allows for rapid information exchange, particularly in urgent cases, which is crucial for coordinated law enforcement actions worldwide. The war room elevates the efficiency and effectiveness of operations against these criminal syndicates on multiple fronts.
Police General Thatchai assigned Police Major General Attasit Sudsa-nguan, Deputy Commander of the Technology Crime Suppression Division, to lead the preparatory meeting for IAC War Room coordinators. Representatives from various agencies participated, including the Technology Crime Suppression Division, Central Investigation Bureau, Immigration Bureau, Provincial Police Region 2, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, Bank of Thailand, National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, Securities and Exchange Commission, National Cybersecurity Committee, Personal Data Protection Office, and Anti-Money Laundering Office.
Operations coordinated by the IAC War Room focus on intensifying and unifying efforts to promptly analyze financial flows, freeze bank accounts, digital wallets, and cryptocurrency wallets, trace IP addresses and locations used in criminal acts, obtain registration data of service providers and users, suspend phone numbers or internet access points involved, analyze crime patterns and networks, and recommend prevention and suppression strategies.
The War Room is also empowered to shut down scam and trafficking pages or platforms immediately upon receiving reports, as well as to protect sensitive data from leaks. These coordinated efforts aim to make the crackdown on call center scams and human trafficking more effective and achieve tangible results within the government’s designated timeline. (TNA)
