Thai media revealed that the leader of the Border Guard Force (BGF) in Myanmar's Karen State recently admitted that they had been deceived by a cross-border telecommunications fraud group.
BGF Deputy Battalion Commander Major Nai Maw Soe disclosed that the initial investment plans proposed by these fraud groups were to open casinos and entertainment venues in the areas controlled by the BGF. However, these so-called investors eventually turned into illegal telecommunications fraud gangs.
Major Nai Maw Soe's revelation exposes the covert methods of cross-border criminal networks. These criminal groups gain trust by posing as legitimate investors in cooperation with local armed forces, then quietly shift to telecommunications fraud activities. The BGF was apparently unprepared for this change and failed to recognize the dangers behind these seemingly legitimate investments in time.
Initially, these telecommunications fraud groups approached the BGF through agents with investment proposals, explicitly stating their plans to build entertainment facilities and casinos within the BGF's sphere of influence in Karen State. Since these proposals matched the local demand for entertainment, the BGF did not have much suspicion about these investment plans. However, as time went on, these so-called entertainment projects failed to start as planned.
Instead, the BGF began to notice the illegal activities hidden behind these investors—a large-scale telecommunications fraud network was quietly established locally and began operations. Major Nai Maw Soe stated that the BGF was originally unaware of the true intentions of these investors until the problem became too significant to ignore, and the activities of the telecommunications fraud gang had already spread to many local areas.
Meanwhile, the Thai government's tough measures against cross-border telecommunications fraud have also attracted widespread attention. The Thai government recently announced the cutting off of electricity and fuel supplies to some areas of Myanmar, aiming to cut off logistical support for the fraud gangs and force them to stop their illegal activities. Although this measure is intended to curb the spread of cross-border telecommunications fraud, it has provoked a strong reaction from the people of Myanmar.
The BGF stated that the Thai government's power-cut policy has caused significant difficulties for the local people of Myanmar. Major Nai Maw Soe mentioned that the daily lives of the Myanmar people have been severely affected, especially in terms of shortages in electricity and fuel supplies, causing troubles for many ordinary families. The BGF leadership also calls on the Thai government to reconsider this decision and seek more constructive solutions.
The issue of telecommunications fraud between Thailand and Myanmar is not new. In recent years, as telecommunications technology has become widespread, the scale and complexity of cross-border telecommunications fraud have increased. Fraud gangs not only commit fraud through phone calls and the internet but also cover up the illegal nature of their activities by renting properties and opening casinos.
Although the Thai government's tough stance has received broad domestic support, it also exposes a series of new challenges: how to effectively combat these transnational criminal groups? How to balance national security with the stability of relations with neighboring countries? Especially after the implementation of measures to cut off electricity and the internet, tensions between Thailand and Myanmar may further escalate, not only affecting the daily lives of the people in both countries but also potentially having a negative impact on economic exchanges between the two countries.
For Thailand, how to combat cross-border telecommunications fraud while avoiding exacerbating conflicts with neighboring countries will be a major challenge in future policy-making. The Thai government has stated that it will continue to intensify efforts to crack down on telecommunications fraud gangs while strengthening cooperation with surrounding countries to explore more long-term solutions.
In the long run, the fundamental resolution of the cross-border telecommunications fraud issue requires not only the efforts of Thailand but also the cooperation of surrounding countries, including Myanmar, to combat these transnational criminal networks. Additionally, how to help victim countries restore electricity and fuel supplies to ensure that the lives of the people are not affected is also a key issue for future multilateral cooperation.
