More than 160 people, mainly Chinese and Indonesians, were detained by Philippines authorities yesterday after they raided a suspected illegal online gaming and cybercrime complex in a central province. The individuals were accused of committing crimes using the Internet.
More than 100 Philippines government agents, supported by military intelligence, raided a resort compound in Lapu-Lapu City on Saturday. This was part of an ongoing crackdown that began in July when Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. issued an order banning widespread, mostly Chinese-run online gaming operations that primarily serve customers in China, where it is illegal to bet.
Marcos went on to say that widespread violations of regulations had been committed by the vast illegal gaming businesses, despite Philippines laws.
According to him, these groups also engaged in financial fraud, human trafficking, torture, kidnappings, and murder.
The Indonesian embassy in Manila asked for the rescue of eight Indonesians who were allegedly made to find jobs on a gaming platform. This led to the raid at the Tourist Garden Resort, which consists of ten buildings with restaurants, karaoke bars, and swimming pools, according to the Philippines Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission.
The commission stated, without providing any details, that at least 162 foreigners “were found employed in three different scam farms within the compound.”
According to Philippines officials, these crimes include internet gambling, investment schemes, and false love that have fooled victims of huge amounts of money.
It further stated that the 83 Chinese, 70 Indonesians, 6 Burmese nationals, 2 Taiwanese, and 1 Malaysian will be transferred to Manila in order to undergo an examination by the Philippines Bureau of Immigration and maybe be removed.
According to immigration officers and the commission, the owner of the hotel property was taken into custody and may be the subject of criminal charges, including protecting foreign nationals who were staying there illegally.
Beijing supported Marcos’s decision to declare illegal the Chinese-run internet gambling sites, which are thought to employ millions of people from China and Southeast Asia and number around 400 throughout the Philippines.
Authorities believe thousands of Chinese, Vietnamese, Indonesians, and other people, mainly from Southeast Asia, were illegally recruited and forced to work in terrible conditions at several sprawling complexes, which has led to their removal.
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