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When Uganda’s ambassador to Malaysia made the first contact with captors in Myanmar in November 2023, it was a wild chase.

But Ms Betty Bigombe said behind the scenes were diplomatic manoeuvres with the captors and rebels that secured the release of 23 Ugandans who had been trafficked to Myanmar.

Ms Bigombe last Saturday said she spent months shuttling between Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, and Burma, where the Ugandans were being held.

She said before she arrived in Malaysia, the victims had been contacting the embassy but received no serious response from officials.

“Some of the captives got in touch with me and they were totally helpless,” she said. “When they get there, they are huddled into these camps and their phone taken away, passports removed, are ushered into some kind of shelters housing about 10 people in one room, and told to work for 20 hours a day. In the first week, they’re also trained to scam people,” she added.

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