The ethnic armed organization in Karen State, Myanmar — the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) — recently issued an order requiring Chinese businessmen engaged in the casino and catering industry to leave by the end of this month and announced a ban on Chinese entering the towns under their control.
The two statements released by the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army pointed out that all Chinese must evacuate and stated that patrols would be intensified and measures taken to prevent Chinese from entering their jurisdiction. The statement also warned that those who violate this order will face legal consequences.
Karen State is located in the border area between Thailand and Myanmar, and Phaya Thone Zu town is identified as a hotspot for telecommunications fraud, hence the power supply has been cut off by Thailand. The Democratic Karen Buddhist Army stated in the declaration that the power outage has caused local economic losses and claimed that they will take measures to protect the interests of the Myanmar people. At the same time, the armed group emphasized the importance of building a relationship of trust with the Thai government and hoped that Thailand would restore the power supply and fuel delivery to Myanmar.
Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra criticized the funding sources of some ethnic armed groups in Myanmar, accusing these forces of being funded by telecommunications fraud gangs and drug trafficking networks. He stated: "Unless these criminal networks are completely eradicated, the situation cannot be improved." Thaksin emphasized that the Myanmar community must realize that supporting these scam gangs will have a negative impact on the entire society.
Thaksin also promised that once these criminal networks are eradicated, Thailand will restore power supply to Myanmar and resume internet signals.
Recently, the continuous incidents of Thai citizens being abducted to Myanmar by telecommunications fraud and online gambling crime gangs have severely affected Thailand's international reputation. To combat cross-border crime, the Thai government announced last Wednesday (February 5) that it would cut off electricity, fuel supply, and internet signals to five Myanmar border areas and strengthen the crackdown on criminal gangs. This measure is not only a containment of criminal activities but also a pressure on Myanmar to take effective actions.
The Thai side stated that after cutting off the power, the telecom fraud gang in Tachilek, Myanmar, released more than 100 Thai employees, and the number of bicycles and motorcycles usually parked next to the Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge has significantly decreased, showing a decline in the number of people working across the border. This series of measures reflects Thailand's determination in cracking down on cross-border telecom fraud.
