As Thailand's internet blackout measures enter their second week, a dramatic turn has occurred in the border areas of Myanmar! From BGF to DKBA, various local armed forces have expressed their intentions to eradicate telecom fraud, and large-scale handovers have begun in the parks.
This "power cut operation" that started on February 5th is triggering a domino effect.
The change began with the "lights out" in the telecom fraud parks. Thai media reported that the KK Park, located opposite Mae Sot County in Laixing Prefecture, has turned from a brightly lit "city that never sleeps" to pitch darkness, with only 20-30% of the lights remaining.
The casinos and telecom fraud bases in the Daqili area have also been hit hard, with over a hundred employees laid off and over 55,000 members of fraud gangs expelled from Myanmar due to fuel shortages and the inability to sustain generators.
Under multiple pressures, the armed factions in Myanmar have begun to "change faces". On February 9th, DKBA took the lead in speaking out, demanding that local Chinese businessmen leave by the end of February or face legal responsibilities. BGF Deputy Battalion Commander Major Nai Mao Suo also admitted for the first time that he was deceived, stating that these parks initially claimed to set up casinos and entertainment venues, but actually turned into fraud dens.
On February 12th, the Karen Border Guard (BGF) officially announced the establishment of a special task force to combat telecom fraud and human trafficking, and formulated a specific eradication plan.
BGF leader Su Chi Du boldly stated: "Watch, this time I will do what I say, and completely eliminate fraud, definitely within a week."
The organizational structure of the special task force has been determined, with General Saw Didi serving as the head of the repatriation team, and General Saw Kaew Pow as the deputy head, with three working groups under them. It is reported that the first batch of eradication actions will target parks such as Myawaddy, Asia Pacific, Yulong Bay, and KK, with an estimated total of about 10,000 Chinese citizens and other foreign nationals to be repatriated.
Today (February 13th) at 3 PM, another armed force—the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA)—took the lead in action, transferring 261 rescued foreign nationals to the Thai government. These people came from countries such as Pakistan, Nepal, and the Philippines, previously trapped in the telecom fraud parks in the suburbs of Myawaddy Town.
DKBA's first combat commander, Brigadier General Sai Jue La, also showed a resolute attitude. In an interview with the media, he stated: "This will not take too long. By the end of this month, we should be able to completely eliminate the fraud groups. In our own jurisdiction, we do not need to ask for permission or apply for permits from anyone."
Insiders revealed that this handover action mainly targets specific parks, such as Yulong Bay and Ding Sheng, which often appear in the news. The military is particularly concerned about people who were forcibly detained for work and deceived into going there. However, the specific number of repatriations is still to be confirmed.
This series of actions is the result of continuous pressure from the Thai government, with China also pushing behind the scenes.
Since February 5th, the Thai side has implemented a combination of power cuts, fuel stops, and internet blackouts in the border areas, nearly paralyzing the fraud parks. Just yesterday, Thai Deputy Prime Minister Putan personally visited the border to demonstrate Thailand's determination to combat telecom fraud.
"This time it's really different," a long-term observer of the Northern Myanmar issue pointed out, "Thailand's internet blackout action has hit the vital point. Without electricity, without the internet, these parks are 'blind', completely unable to operate."
It is worth noting that this action has the support of the Myanmar military. According to a picture circulating online:
"The Myanmar military will protect the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA)"
The Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) is one of the Karen ethnic armed organizations in Myanmar. Initially, the organization was a faction that split from the Karen National Union (KNU).
In 1994, DKBA was established and was officially reorganized into a border guard force by the Myanmar government army in 2009."
In other words, the Myanmar military has promised to protect the actions of DKBA. As stated in the picture, DKBA has been reorganized into a border guard force since 2009, which is very significant in the current context.
Therefore, this eradication operation is estimated not to end in the short term! The current situation suggests that the handling methods may vary between different parks: perhaps directly driving people away or directly handing them over!
According to leaks, most parks in Myanmar have already negotiated, preparing to hand over a batch of people and lists to China and Thailand!
In the future, as the internet blackout measures continue to be enforced and attitudes from all sides become clear, more parks may be forced to shut down or transform, or seek other regions.
Although completely eradicating it will take time, at least this action has opened a breakthrough, allowing this long-standing transnational crime issue to see the light of dawn.
Whether it is active eradication or forced financial cut-off, this action not only attracts the attention of Southeast Asian countries but also draws international attention, with the United Nations calling for countries to strengthen cooperation to combat transnational crime networks. The Thai government also stated that it will provide necessary assistance to these rescued individuals, helping them contact their consulates to arrange subsequent repatriation matters.
The next week will be a critical period! If BGF and DKBA can fulfill their promises, this will be a major breakthrough in combating telecom fraud in Northern Myanmar. However, the large-scale repatriation operation also faces challenges, requiring close cooperation between China, Thailand, and Myanmar in handover procedures and identity verification.
Regardless, this action shows an unprecedented determination from various parties in Myanmar, Thailand, and other Southeast Asian countries. As the pressure continues to increase and measures like internet blackouts continue to be enforced, more parks may choose to actively hand over people.
This long-standing transnational crime issue can also be somewhat cleaned up!
