A Myanmar ethnic militia announced on Saturday that it is preparing to deport 10,000 individuals associated with cyber scams in its controlled region to Thailand, as part of a crackdown on these illicit operations. Scam compounds have rapidly proliferated in Myanmar’s border areas, often staffed by trafficked foreigners forced to commit fraud, contributing to an industry worth billions of dollars.
“We have announced our intention to eliminate all scams from our territory. We are now putting this into action,” said Major Naing Maung Zaw, a spokesman for the Karen Border Guard Force (BGF).
The militia has created a list and plans to deport approximately 10,000 people in groups of 500 daily. So far, they have already sent 61 individuals across the border to Thailand and are preparing to hand over “about 500 people, including many different nationalities” each day.
Cooperation between the military task force responsible for border security in Thailand’s Tak province and BGF leaders is underway to receive around 7,000 workers from these scam centers, according to reports from Thai media.
Combating Cyber Scams
On Friday, BGF soldiers conducted patrols at workplaces in Shwe Kokko, a known scam compound in Myanmar’s eastern Myawaddy township. This area, under BGF control, has become a significant hub for cyber scams, which often lure individuals worldwide with promises of lucrative employment but subsequently hold them hostage and force them into online fraud.
Authorities in both Myanmar and Thailand have publicly raided these centers, which are also linked to drug smuggling and gambling operations, releasing and repatriating the foreigners involved.
Recently, Thailand deported 10 Chinese nationals connected to the alleged kidnapping of an actor rescued from a cyber fraud center in Myanmar. These suspects were part of a gang operating in Myawaddy and were accused of defrauding Chinese citizens.
In a separate incident, over 250 foreign nationals from various countries were rescued from an online scam center in Kyauk Khet, located 50 kilometers (30 miles) south of Shwe Kokko, and subsequently handed over to Thai authorities.
BGF Major General Saw Chit Thu stated on Thursday that the militia is “identifying, arresting, and suppressing human traffickers and fraudsters illegally operating within investment projects in our region.”
Credit: France24
