Irrawaddy-Jan 21
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. 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. Read more at:
