The Thai government will slash electricity supplies by 50 percent to areas in Myanmar that are suspected of being used by criminal syndicates to run their operations, Defense Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said on Monday.
He made the pledge after the National Security Council (NSC) convened a meeting on Monday with officials from the Interior Ministry and the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) to discuss a plan to cut electricity supplies to areas linked to illegal activities.
Phumtham, who is also a deputy prime minister, said the Foreign Affairs Ministry will inform Myanmar about the decision, which is expected to affect several Myanmar towns along the border, such as Shwe Kokko in Myawaddy opposite Tak’s Mae Sot district. They are known to host online scam syndicates. He said he would travel to Mae Sot district on Thursday to inspect the situation along the Thai-Myanmar border, after which he would issue the order to reduce the electricity supply to the area by 50 percent.
The defense minister stressed that the NSC has the authority to cut off power supplies to an area without cabinet approval, if it can be proven that the area in question is being used by criminal gangs.
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the ministry has asked the NSC to point out the areas in Myanmar the council believes are being used by scammers and other criminals.
“If we can confirm the information, the Interior Ministry is ready to cut off the power supply,” said Anutin, who is also a deputy prime minister.
Before the meeting, NSC secretary-general Chatchai Bangchuad said authorities will consider all relevant information carefully before moving to cut off power supplies to businesses located along the Thai-Myanmar border.
“Any decision to cut off power must take into account PEA’s power supply contracts and the possible impact on people in the neighboring country, Chatchai said.
Chatchai said he had discussed the issue with representatives from the Interior Ministry, PEA, armed forces and intelligence agencies following China’s request for Thailand to stop supplying resources to the scam gangs in Myawaddy, which are targeting Chinese citizens.
He said there is evidence of transnational criminal syndicate activities in Tachileik, opposite Chiang Rai’s Mae Sai district; Myawaddy, which borders Tak province, and Payathonzu, which is adjacent to Kanchanaburi province.
Chatchai said some of these scam syndicates appear to be linked to casino operators operating across the border in Myanmar.
“Some of these venues have requested an increase in power supply, but their requests were rejected because they failed to outline the reason for the hike,” he said.
PEA Deputy Governor Prasit Junprasit said the PEA will launch surveys in areas believed to be used by criminal gangs before cutting off power supplies.
Last week, Anutin sent a letter to the NSC seeking information about illegal activities in five Myanmar areas where the PEA supplies electricity.
While the ministry has the authority to stop the supply of power to these areas, it needs more information from other agencies, he said.
The government has been accused of dragging its feet on the matter because it has yet to launch decisive action to curb the operations of criminal syndicates across the border despite repeated calls for it to do so.
Some have speculated that rifts in the coalition are complicating the crackdown effort.
This story first appeared in The Bangkok Post.
