In the border area between Myanmar and Thailand, Myawaddy was once an obscure small town, but it has become an international focus due to rampant telecom fraud and human trafficking, becoming the target of public criticism.
Myawaddy is located on the Thai-Myanmar border, separated from Thailand by only a river, serving both as a trade route and a "gray area" of legal jurisdiction. The Myanmar government has long lacked effective control over the Karen State. Previously, Myawaddy was merely a "gambling city" in the border area.
As multiple countries cracked down on gambling venues, many companies that lost their means of making money transformed and invested in the scam industry, subsequently establishing parks in Myawaddy for internet fraud, investment scams, and other activities.
From "Gambling City" to "City of Scams," with the tacit approval or participation of many illegal interest groups, this cross-border "no man's land" status provides natural shelter for crimes such as telecom fraud and human trafficking.
Behind all this, the big boss includes the current leader of the Karen Border Guard Force (BGF), Colonel Saw Chit Thu, who commands nearly ten thousand troops.
From local armed leader to the "umbrella" of telecom fraud groups, and then to an international fugitive, Saw Chit Thu's rise and fall reflect the power struggles and complex criminal networks in Southeast Asia's gray zones.
How did Saw Chit Thu step by step become the armed leader of the Myawaddy area?
Saw Chit Thu (Colonel Saw Chit Thu), born in 1962, is the current leader of the Karen Border Guard Force (BGF), commanding 6,000 to 9,000 armed members.
Saw Chit Thu's life trajectory is like a "chameleon." In 1979, he joined the Karen National Union (KNU) and became a commander.
However, in 1994, due to internal conflicts within the organization, he split from the KNU and established the "Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA)," reaching a ceasefire agreement with the Myanmar military. This transformation was not out of idealism but because he wanted to find a stronger umbrella for his troops. Whether for his own interests or to maintain his power, he constantly adjusted his "stance."
By 2010, as the Myanmar military government increased pressure on Karen areas, Saw Chit Thu's "Democratic Karen Buddhist Army" directly transformed into the Karen Border Guard Force. During this period, he became a brigade commander, but behind these identity changes, there was always one core goal—to maintain his position and power. In 2014, the 5th Brigade of the Karen Border Guard Force announced its departure from the Karen Border Guard Force, re-establishing itself as the "Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA)."
In April 2024, Saw Chit Thu once again declared independence and allied with his original faction, the Karen National Union (KNU).
After the joint Sino-Myanmar crackdown on telecom fraud in northern Myanmar in 2023, a large number of criminal gangs moved to Myawaddy. The area offers low rent, low electricity and labor costs, and the Myanmar military government had legalized the gambling industry, providing a "legal" disguise for telecom fraud. Saw Chit Thu took the opportunity to introduce telecom fraud leaders from China, Cambodia, and other places, cooperating to develop "Shuigou Valley Asia-Pacific New City," "KK Park," and other bases, forming a complete criminal industry chain.
Saw Chit Thu commands about 6,000 soldiers, with significant annual military expenses. He converts telecom fraud revenue into military funds by collecting land rent (holding a 30% stake), protection fees (annual income of 700 million USD), and directly participating in profit-sharing (annual income of 200 million USD).
It is preliminarily estimated that he earns at least 100 million USD annually from these telecom fraud parks.
As international cooperation to combat telecom fraud intensifies, Saw Chit Thu also sees the determination of multiple countries to jointly fight telecom fraud, which has started to frighten him, leading him to engage in a game of brinkmanship with the international community.
Not long ago, Saw Chit Thu gathered major telecom fraud leaders in the Myawaddy area for a meeting. At the meeting, Saw Chit Thu made five demands to the park managers:
1. Pay attention to news about human trafficking, fraud groups, and other illegal criminal activities, and respond promptly.
2. The park prohibits forced, threatening, and physically harmful behaviors.
3. Prohibit the use of child labor under 18 years old.
4. Prohibit engaging in illegal activities of trafficking people and extorting money.
5. Prohibit engaging in fraudulent activities.
Any enterprise that violates the above regulations will be required to cease operations and exit the area.
Although Saw Chit Thu has repeatedly claimed to "combat telecom fraud," his actions are always contradictory. In February 2024, he announced a high-profile cleanup of the parks, requiring telecom fraud personnel to withdraw from the jurisdiction by the end of the year.
On February 6 this year, Saw Chit Thu stated, "Our Karen Border Guard Force only rents the land to foreign businessmen. We are not involved in gray industries; we are merely participating in the projects as landlords."
And we are cooperating with international teams to combat illegal activities, including fraud, illegal activities, human trafficking, abuse, child labor, drug trafficking, and abuse.
At the same time, the Karen Border Guard Force stated, "We are cooperating with the international community. Since 2023, we have helped more than 2,000 victims of human trafficking return home."
On February 6, Myawaddy initiated the first batch of transfers, with 61 foreigners who had been trafficked to Myawaddy being handed over to Thailand by Saw Chit Thu.
Ironically, after Thailand imposed sanctions, Saw Chit Thu not only did not restrain himself but instead ordered the establishment of a "Thai disk" in the telecom fraud parks, specifically targeting Thai citizens for scams, and organized protests against the Thai government, trying to maintain his authority with a provocative stance.
Saw Chit Thu's crimes have long alerted multiple countries. Starting in 2024, Europe and the United States have imposed sanctions on him and his associated forces; Thailand has severely damaged the operation of the telecom fraud parks through "three cuts" measures, forcing Saw Chit Thu to rely on diesel generators to barely maintain operations. China has also strengthened cooperation with Myanmar and Thailand to promote cross-border crackdowns and has repeatedly expressed support for eradicating the telecom fraud cancer in diplomatic occasions.
However, the downfall of Saw Chit Thu is not an easy task. His power is intricately linked with the Myanmar military government and local ethnic armed groups, and he has even been reported to cooperate with Hong Kong gangster figures to develop the "Yulong Bay Park," forming a transnational criminal network. Although an international arrest warrant has listed him as a key target, Saw Chit Thu still survives by relying on armed forces and the shelter of gray zones.
We have said before that Thailand's cutting off water, electricity, and oil to the Myawaddy area was just the first step in combating telecom fraud, with many more heavy blows to come. Now, Thailand has finally played a big move, arresting the biggest protector of Myawaddy telecom fraud, the Myanmar armed leader Saw Chit Thu, who commands ten thousand troops.
This reminds us of the four major families in the Kokang region. When the Chinese government issued them a final ultimatum, they were still very arrogant, even Bai Suocheng said that famous quote: "I heard that the electricity will be cut off tomorrow, it doesn't matter, we are also people who came here by striking a match, we can live without electricity, we are fully prepared, and we have generators. Ten days and a half month is not a problem at all."
The telecom fraud gangs need to realize that when the international community forms a unified will and the national machinery is fully activated, its thunderous momentum cannot be underestimated. Cutting off power supply, interrupting network connections, and blocking energy channels are just the beginning of a systematic crackdown.
As we have previously assessed, the ultimate goal of such actions is to fundamentally dismantle the criminal network and completely eradicate its survival foundation. It should be believed that those telecom fraud park shelter forces that are in cahoots with Saw Chit Thu, as well as the criminal groups attached to them, will face a comprehensive defeat under the sword of the law, just like the downfall trajectory of the four major families in the Kokang region.
