After Thailand's decisive action, Myawaddy was anxious and quickly made important commitments, expressing full cooperation in combating telecom fraud, hoping that Thailand would restore electricity and fuel supply. The move by the Thai Prime Minister undoubtedly hit the telecom fraud criminals hard, fulfilling the promise to China.
Myawaddy, a key border town in Myanmar, is currently seeking help from Thailand with all its might. Due to Thailand's recent implementation of the "three cuts" measures in the area, Myawaddy is experiencing an unprecedented crisis, with the most striking being the fuel price signs at gas stations, where the price of 95 octane gasoline has soared to 58 Thai baht per liter, and diesel has broken through the 63 Thai baht mark, with reports of a shocking 80 baht per liter in some areas. Lines at gas stations are long, and diesel generators have become useless scrap metal.
The catalyst for this major border supply cut is the rampant telecom fraud in Myawaddy. Given that the incident has escalated to an "international nature," Thailand had previously cut off electricity, internet, and fuel supplies to five towns in Myanmar.
Tao Minmin, the chairman of the Myawaddy Chamber of Commerce, urgently stated her case, asking Thailand for "a way to live." She will submit an official letter from the Myawaddy government to the Thai Deputy Prime Minister Putan, requesting two key concessions from the Thai side: restoring electricity supply to government agencies and hospitals, and limited export of fuel.
At the same time, Myawaddy also promised to support Thailand in combating telecom fraud, support the dismantling of illegal operations in places like the "KK Park," and hopes to restore normal trade, investment, and tourism activities.
The Myawaddy authorities have posted slogans everywhere locally, stating their opposition to criminal activities and calling for avoidance of crimes involving fraud and human trafficking.
Meanwhile, to prevent oil smuggling to telecom fraud gangs, the Thai side is also actively discussing various countermeasures, including restricting the sale of fuel at gas stations, which can not only combat crime but also stabilize the local area by controlling the circulation of goods.
In a previous interview, Thai Prime Minister Petong Tan clearly stated his determination to combat telecom fraud, emphasizing that Thailand will not tolerate cross-border crime, especially those affecting the security and livelihood of both China and Thailand.
The "three cuts" measures are part of her fulfillment of promises to China. Since their implementation, there has been a significant decrease in the frequency of scam calls, giving the Thai government hope and indicating that they will continue to evaluate and, if effective, consider expanding the scope or taking more joint actions with China to jointly address this serious international security issue.
On the day of the China-Thailand meeting, 61 people trapped in the Myawaddy telecom fraud park were rescued, including 39 Chinese nationals. The international media, including China, widely reported the initial success of this operation.
Previously, Thailand calculated that cutting off electricity to five locations in Myanmar resulted in a direct monthly loss of 50 million Thai baht. However, this loss is negligible in front of the massive number of Chinese tourists.
According to data from the Thailand Tourism Authority: In January, despite the public opinion storm, Chinese tourists contributed 662,000 visits. Some in the tourism industry privately calculated: "Losing 50 million baht in electricity for one month in exchange for 6 million Chinese tourists a year is a profitable deal!"
Objectively speaking, although the "three cuts" policy has brought tremendous short-term pressure to the Myanmar border area, including Myawaddy, it represents the Thai government's great efforts to fulfill its commitments to the international community, especially to China.
