KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - A total of 121 people, mostly Malaysians suspected of being victims of job scams, were evacuated from Myanmar on Friday after being stranded by fighting between the military and rebel groups in the country's north, Malaysia's foreign ministry said.
The mission came amid continuous fighting in northern Myanmar after an alliance of armed ethnic groups launched an offensive in late October.
The groups have seized control of several towns and military outposts near the country's border with China, disrupting trade.
Malaysia's deputy foreign minister Mohamad Alamin said the rescued group were among 128 people stranded in Laukkaing, a town in Myanmar's northern Shan state, state news agency Bernama reported on Friday.
Hundreds of Malaysians have been rescued from cybercrime and job scam networks across Southeast Asia in recent years.
Persons:
Mohamad Alamin, Bernama, Malaysia's, Mohamad, Rozanna Latiff, Gerry Doyle
Organizations:
Reuters
Locations:
KUALA LUMPUR, Myanmar, Indonesian, Kuala Lumpur, Kunming, China, Laukkaing, Shan, Southeast Asia