Some 7,000 people rescued from illegal call centre operations in Myanmar were waiting be transferred to Thailand, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said on Wednesday.

Efforts to shut down online scam centers in Myanmar appear to gain momentum with a visit by a top Chinese official to the border zone ahead of expected large-scale repatriations of workers in the illicit industry.

Thai authorities say they are requesting arrest warrants for three leaders of an ethnic Karen militia believed to be harboring online scam syndicates.

China will fly home about 200 of its nationals found in scam-running compounds on the Thai-Myanmar border, a Thai security official said on Tuesday, as part of a multinational effort to crack down on illegal online operations run from the region.

Battered and bruised Chinese workers from online scam centres in Myanmar faced an anxious wait to return home, as Beijing and Thailand finalised plans on Wednesday for their repatriation.