Government issues travel advisory for Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos

Kathmandu, December 23 — The government has issued a three-point travel advisory for those planning to visit countries like Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued the travel advisory on Monday, urging Nepali citizens who plan to travel or are preparing to travel to these countries to exercise caution.

The ministry has received information that criminal gangs involved in human trafficking and other illegal activities are forcibly taking Nepali citizens to Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar to engage in illegal work, confiscating passports, forcing them to work for 12-13 hours, subjecting them to extreme torture, and withholding their wages.

The ministry also noted that there has been a significant increase in the number of Nepali citizens applying to the Nepali embassies in Yangon and Bangkok for assistance.

The ministry further emphasized that engaging in or facilitating such illegal activities, such as bringing people abroad under the guise of foreign employment or other temptations, and charging large sums of money, is punishable under the laws of Nepal.

The three-point travel advisory is as follows:

1. Suspicious IT firms involved in online gambling, call center fraud, cryptocurrency scams, and other activities are enticing youths with job opportunities in Bangkok, where victims are illegally trafficked through Bangkok to Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar to be held in captivity and forced to work. Employment advertisements for Thailand and Myanmar are often posted on social media platforms by various agents, so the advisory urges people not to fall for the fake job offers promoted through these social media platforms or other sources.

2. The advisory urges people not to travel on a tourist visa for the purpose of foreign employment and to thoroughly check the websites of foreign firms/companies/employers before accepting job offers. It also advises obtaining sufficient information through the respective Nepali missions abroad.

3. For more information on the issues mentioned above, Nepali citizens are advised to contact Second Secretary Mr. Ganga Sundas at the Nepali Embassy in Yangon via email ([email protected] / [email protected]), telephone (+95-01-9545880 / 01-9557168), or Hotline/Viber/WhatsApp (+959251242051), or visit the Embassy of Nepal Yangon Myanmar Facebook page.

4. Additionally, First Secretary Mr. Khagaraj Pandey at the Nepali Embassy in Bangkok can be reached via email ([email protected] / [email protected]), telephone (+66869915554 (WhatsApp)).