The Karen Border Guard Force (BGF) on 17/11 announced the launch of a "final battle" against scam centers within Myawaddy town, Karen State, near the Thai-Myanmar border. The campaign's focus is the Shwe Kokko area, where online scam gangs use many buildings, similar to the KK Park area that was swept in October.
"The BGF is determined to eradicate online scams and completely end illicit activities there in the coming days. The operation in Shwe Kokko will be the final battle. This campaign will be transparent to the world, demonstrating our commitment", a BGF spokesperson told Thailand's Reporters newspaper.
The spokesperson added that the BGF decided to act to protect the image of Karen State, Myanmar, and the reputation of the BGF and its leaders. The armed group aims to end the chaos and restore a clean business environment in the area.
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People working at Shwe Kokko were arrested by the BGF and Myanmar military on 18/11. Photo: Reporters |
People working at Shwe Kokko were arrested by the BGF and Myanmar military on 18/11. Photo: Reporters
One day after the announcement, the BGF, in coordination with the Myanmar military, entered the Shwe Kokko complex. They arrested over 300 foreigners, mostly Chinese citizens. The forces also seized many computers, phones, and equipment used for online scam activities.
Approximately 100 BGF members were also deployed along the Moei border river, divided into several checkpoints, to ensure security and prevent people from the Shwe Kokko complex from crossing into Thailand.
The BGF estimated this scam center housed 1,000 to 2,000 people. Myanmar's Irrawaddy news site reported that a large number of workers in Shwe Kokko fled the complex on 17/11, immediately after the BGF announced the operation.
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BGF units deployed to the Shwe Kokko area on 18/11. Photo: Reporters |
BGF units deployed to the Shwe Kokko area on 18/11. Photo: Reporters
This marks the second time the BGF has swept for scam criminals in Shwe Kokko in the past year. In an operation last February and March, the BGF arrested over 4,000 people in this area, most were also Chinese citizens. However, a few months later, scam facilities in Shwe Kokko resumed operations.
Myanmar leader Min Aung Hlaing on 15/11 vowed to eliminate scam centers along the Myanmar-Thailand border, calling it a "national duty". Myanmar authorities are destroying nearly 150 buildings at KK Park over the past month, following a raid on the area in mid-October, which caused approximately 1,500 people to flee to Thailand.
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BGF members and Myanmar military carried weapons to search a scam center in Shwe Kokko on 18/11. Photo: Reporters |
BGF members and Myanmar military carried weapons to search a scam center in Shwe Kokko on 18/11. Photo: Reporters
Scam centers have mushroomed in Myanmar's loosely controlled border areas. Many foreigners are lured there through romance or recruitment scams, while some come voluntarily to work.
According to a report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the online scam industry has boomed across Southeast Asia, especially in Cambodia, Thailand, and Myanmar. Victims lost a total of USD 37 billion in 2023.
By Thanh Danh (According to Irrawaddy, Reporters)
