Irrawaddy-July 28
Under mounting international pressure, scam syndicates are relocating operations inland from the Myanmar-Thai border, including to the regime-controlled Karen State capital of Hpa-an, according to sources monitoring the networks. Border sources told The Irrawaddy that as regional crackdowns intensify, scam compounds controlled by the regime-aligned Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) in Kyauk Khet are being shifted to its headquarters in Sone See Myaing, as well as to Hlaingbwe, Paingkyon, Hpa-an, and as far as neighboring Mon State.
“Most of these relocations are being carried out jointly by the BGF [Karen Border Guard Force] and the DKBA,” a source told The Irrawaddy. “They moved because operations in places like Kyauk Khet are too visible, whether by satellite or directly from the Thai side. Local reports confirm that the Chinese-run scam operations have spread to Hpa-an, the source added. Meanwhile, Karen National Army (KNA) forces under warlord Saw Chi Thu have quietly relocated operations from Shwe Kokko and KK Park. The KNA split from the BGF after the latter joined regime raids on the notorious Myawaddy cyber-fraud hubs—operations analysts said were orchestrated to relieve international pressure. These scam operations have reportedly been moved from the Thai-Myanmar border to deep jungle at the foot of the Dawna Mountains, including near Thay Ka Tay village. However, the relocated operations will not escape the joint Thai-U.S. crackdown launched last August, according to Natty, a former Thai journalist who researches border scams at social media platform Natty Loves Myanmar. The Thai government and FBI won’t let them just slip off the radar,” she told The Irrawaddy. “Given that these compounds are under the jurisdiction of Myanmar authorities, action and arrests may take time. But while relocating to mountainous regions might delay enforcement, it doesn’t mean these networks are out of the investigations’ reach.” The FBI has offered a reward of up to $10 million for information that disrupts the Tai Chang scam empire based in Kyauk Khet. Read more at:
