An airlift carrying more than 1,000 Chinese nationals who had worked at online scam centers in eastern Myanmar began Thursday, after the rescued workers were taken across the border to Thailand and put on chartered flights to China.

China began repatriating 200 of its citizens who worked in cyber fraud operations in Myanmar, the first batch returning from the centers international groups have said are a nexus of human rights abuses and criminal activity.

Hundreds of Chinese nationals who worked at online fraud centers in eastern Myanmar began to head home on Thursday from an airport in the Thai border town of Mae Sot, Thai officials said.