Thai officials have begun probing the human trafficking industry this week following the disappearance of a Malaysian woman on the border with drug-producing Myanmar.

The meeting comes after tourist Angie Chong Sum Yee, 22, vanished in Chiang Rai province bordering Myanmar's Tachilek town.

The beautician had flown alone to Thailand without her family's knowledge, but kept in touch with relatives until she went silent on May 31. She was last seen resting at a hotel lobby before leaving on a motorcycle with another woman.

Thai authorities convened at the Mekong Delta Boutique Hotel in Chiang Rai on June 7 to discuss the human trafficking syndicates operating along the Thai-Myanmar border.

Attending the meeting were Ruj Thammongkol, director-general of the Department of Consular Affairs, Paveena Hongsakul, chairwoman of the Paveena Foundation for Children and Women, government officials from the Royal Thai Embassy in Yangon, border officials, a representative from the Chiang Rai Chamber of Commerce, and other related agencies.

The officials said that Thai workers were being deceived into working in Myanmar's Shan State with high-paying jobs involving Chinese triad-backed businesses. However, the workers are reportedly forced into indebted slavery or sold to other employers if they fail to meet their quotas.

The Paveena Foundation for Children and Woman has reported 32 human trafficking cases, with five people being repatriated to Thailand. The most recent rescue was a woman named Nan from Chonburi province, who said she was physically abused and coerced to work and take drugs while in Laukkaing town, Shan state.

Consular Affairs director-general Ruj Thammongkol said: 'There needs to be coordination with Thai and Myanmar officials to address the issue immediately. In the long term, awareness must be raised among Thai citizens about these human trafficking scams.'

Pym Chaiyasan, first secretary at the Royal Thai Embassy in Yangon, said that the workers were commonly recruited for high-paying call centre jobs, but were later forced to commit 'romance scams'. The victims, she said, were made to sign contracts written in Chinese.

She added that many people worked in grey businesses unregulated by Burmese officials. Most of them were being sent to various destinations including Mong Pawk, Mong La, Laukkaing, Shwe Kokko, and Yangon.

Paveena Hongsakul, chairwoman of the Paveena Foundation, lamented that Thai women looking for a living were being prostituted. She said: 'The Chinese triads are firmly embedded in various Burmese cities. It is necessary to coordinate with the military to rescue Thai workers in these areas.'

She cited the case of a teen girl, 16, who was tricked into working in brothels in Myawaddy after receiving a job invite from another teenage woman. The girl has been rescued, but needed to undergo rehab to recover from the shock of the ordeal.

Paveena also said that last December, another Thai woman forced into sex work was rescued from Laukkaing town. The victim had been threatened with starvation and physical harm when she resisted.

Meanwhile, videos have emerged on social media of the missing Malaysian tourist Angie Chong Sum Yee apparently claiming she was 'safe and healthy.' The new footage is being investigated as police believe they were staged.

Authorities have vowed to tighten border security to curb the rampant human trafficking industry in the 'Golden Triangle' drugs hub on the border of Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand.

Burmese border towns are littered with large casinos that launder cash from the region's drug labs - often controlled by gangs from China. They have been accused of enslaving and trafficking workers, usually cash-strapped Southeast Asians, looking for high-paying jobs.