At the Mae Sot border, repatriation of grey market Chinese resumes for four days with six flights daily between 20-23 January 2026, with two planes taking off and landing simultaneously each round.
At 10:30 a.m. on 20 January 2026, reporters reported that following crackdowns on multi-national scammer groups in Chwe Kok Ko, Kyeikpar Township, Myawaddy District, Myanmar, opposite Mae Sot District, Tak Province, Thailand, the largest foreign group involved appears to be Chinese nationals. Cooperation among Thailand, China, and Myanmar has facilitated crackdowns, arrests, and repatriation. This phase of repatriating grey market Chinese nationals spans four days, involving 1,108 people from 20 to 23 January 2026.
This morning at Mae Sot International Airport, Tha Sai Luat Subdistrict, Mae Sot District, Tak Province, Thai authorities coordinated with the Chinese embassy to receive the scammer group for repatriation. These Chinese scammers traveled from Myanmar through the permanent border checkpoint at the Second Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge, underwent border control, identity checks, and screening.
They then traveled by bus to Mae Sot International Airport. China deployed China Southern Airlines to pick up the Chinese scammer group, operating six flights daily with 50 passengers per flight, allowing about 300 people to be repatriated daily until the quota is met.
However, today’s repatriation did not reach 300 people because the first flight found one passenger ill and unable to travel back to China.