Amid Chinese pressure on Myanmar to crack down on border scam operations, the regime has shifted blame to Thailand and ethnic armed groups, while the civilian National Unity Government (NUG) and pro-democracy forces have pledged to cooperate with neighboring countries to combat telecom fraud effectively.
The regime claimed in a lengthy statement on Monday that scam centers along the border operate with electricity and internet supplied from a neighboring country. It said criminal syndicates active near the border also obtain weapons, ammunition and construction materials from the adjacent country, which was not named but is widely understood to be Thailand.
The statement declared that the scams were run by foreigners from neighboring countries, which “must cooperate constructively to combat online fraud.”
The regime said it had arrested 55,711 foreigners, mostly Chinese nationals, for online fraud and handed them back to authorities in their own countries.
However, it admitted lacking control over areas where the scams were operating due to instability and accused ethnic armed organizations (EAOs), including signatories to the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), of being involved in the fraud operations.
NCA signatories active on the Thai-Myanmar border include the Karen National Union (KNU)/Karen National Liberation Army (Peace Council), the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army, and the New Mon State Party.
However, the lengthy statement made no mention of Saw Chit Thu, head of the junta-aligned Karen State Border Guard Force (BGF), who is notorious for overseeing gambling and online scam operations in Karen State’s Myawaddy on the Thai-Myanmar border.
The UK, US and EU have slapped sanctions on Saw Chit Thu, who enjoys the regime’s protection.
On Monday, the civilian NUG, KNU and federal democracy forces said in a joint statement that the junta-aligned BGF, militias and allied groups provide security for the border scam operations. They vowed action to prevent Myanmar from becoming a hub of online scam operations that are targeting people worldwide.
They called for cooperation with neighboring countries like China, India, Bangladesh, Laos, and Thailand to establish channels of communication and information-sharing to combat transnational crime. The statement said revolutionary groups stood ready to cooperate with the international community to fight online fraud.
Myawaddy, a key border trade hub with Thailand, is infamous as a hub for scam centers run by Chinese criminal syndicates. Shwe Kokko to the north and KK Park to the south are notorious hotbeds of transnational crime, including online fraud and drug and human trafficking, with numerous reports of forced labor and torture. The border scam centers have mushroomed since the 2021 coup, with many relocating to Myawaddy after a joint crackdown by China and the regime in northern Shan State last year.
Amid the crackdown on the China border, the regime continued to protect Karen BGF chief Saw Chit Thu on the border with Thailand.
However, Myawaddy came under the spotlight earlier this month after Chinese celebrities were lured to Thailand, trafficked over the border, and forced to labor at a scam compound. The incident led to a wave of booking cancellations by Chinese tourists to Thailand, as Chinese embassies issued travel alerts. Meanwhile, China’s foreign minister Wang Yi urged cooperation from ASEAN countries to crack down on border fraud operations.
On January 15, Saw Chit Thu announced a “crackdown” on human trafficking, cross-border crimes and scam operations during an emergency meeting with leaders of the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army and local Chinese businessmen in Myawaddy.
The next day, junta Transport and Communications Minister Mya Tun Oo attended the ASEAN Digital Ministers’ Meeting in Bangkok, pledging cooperation with fellow ASEAN members to combat transnational call center gangs.