Zhang Ruijin and Lin Baoying, both previously convicted of money laundering in Singapore, are now facing human trafficking charges in the Philippines alongside former mayor Alice Guo and 11 others. They are accused of forcing hundreds of individuals from various nationalities to work at a scam operation in Tarlac, which was raided in March 2024, leading to the rescue of 432 Chinese, 371 Filipinos, and others. The Philippine Department of Justice filed these charges on September 17, with qualified human trafficking being a non-bailable offense potentially punishable by life imprisonment. Guo, stripped of her mayorship amid the investigation, was arrested in Indonesia after escaping the Philippines and has additional charges for graft and tax fraud. Meanwhile, in Malaysia, a major crackdown led to the rescue of over 400 children from alleged abuse in charity homes run by the Global Ikhwan Services and Business (GISB), resulting in the arrest of 171 adults, including religious teachers. The raids followed reports of severe neglect and abuse within these homes, linked to the now-banned Al-Arqam sect.