Saw Chit Thu, the supreme leader of the Myanmar Karen Border Guard Force (BGF), is also one of the most influential manipulators of the black industry in Southeast Asia. His power spans across armed forces, fraud, gambling, drug trafficking, and human trafficking, especially establishing a vast "underground empire" in the Myawaddy area on the Myanmar-Thailand border.
Over the years, he has become the ruler of this gray area by controlling the Karen armed forces, cooperating with the Myanmar military government, and deeply engaging in the fraud economy.
However, in recent years, with the turmoil in Myanmar and the international community's intensified crackdown on telecom fraud in Southeast Asia, Saw Chit Thu's position is facing unprecedented challenges.
From warlord to the "umbrella" of fraud groups, his story is full of interest exchanges, betrayals, power struggles, and bloody secrets that are unknown to the public.
Biography: From Karen Soldier to Warlord of Myawaddy
Saw Chit Thu was born in 1962 in a Karen family in Myanmar, one of the largest ethnic minorities in Myanmar, which has long been in conflict with the Myanmar military government. As a young man, he joined the Karen National Union (KNU), an armed organization seeking Karen independence, aimed at defending the Karen community.
In 1994, a split occurred within the KNU, and Saw Chit Thu chose to defect from the original organization and sided with the Myanmar military government. With the support of the military, he established the "Karen Border Guard Force" (BGF). This force is nominally part of the Myanmar military government but actually acts more like an independent local armed organization.
With the support of the military government, Saw Chit Thu quickly took control of the Myawaddy area and accumulated enormous wealth through arms smuggling, drug trafficking, gambling, and fraud. His influence is not limited to Myanmar but also penetrates the underground industries in Thailand, Malaysia, and even China, gradually establishing his economic kingdom in the Myawaddy area. His main industries include:
--Casino Industry: Establishing casinos on the Myanmar-Thailand border, making huge profits through money laundering and gambling;
--Drug Trade: Involved in the Golden Triangle drug network, cooperating with armed groups in northern Myanmar and underground organizations in Thailand, trafficking methamphetamine, heroin, etc.;
--Land Development: Controlling a large amount of land in Myawaddy, developing hotels, commercial areas, and collecting "security taxes" from businessmen.
After 2018, the online fraud industry in Myanmar developed rapidly, especially in northern Myanmar and Myawaddy. To amass wealth, control the region, and maintain his forces, Saw Chit Thu began to use the armed background of the BGF to provide shelter for fraud gangs and assist in establishing fraud parks, including:
--Providing Security: Fraud groups set up fraud parks in places like Myawaddy, and Saw Chit Thu's armed forces are responsible for guarding, not allowing people to enter or leave at will.
--Providing "Umbrella" Protection: By charging high protection fees to fraud groups, ensuring they are not targeted by the government.
--Cooperating with Chinese Gangs: The fraud groups mainly target victims in mainland China, and Saw Chit Thu closely cooperates with Chinese and Thai gangs, establishing a vast cross-border fraud network. One of the most famous is the cooperation with She Zhi Jiang, a Chinese-Cambodian leader of Asia Pacific International Holdings Group, in developing Asia Pacific New City in the Shuigou Valley area in 2017.
By 2021, the fraud parks in Myawaddy had become one of the largest fraud industry bases in Southeast Asia, with tens of thousands of people forced into telecom fraud, gambling, kidnapping, and other criminal activities. Saw Chit Thu earns hundreds of millions of dollars annually from these illegal industries, and his power has rapidly expanded, to the extent that even the Myanmar military government has no way to control him.
In 2021, a group of people trying to escape the Myawaddy fraud parks were blocked by the Karen Border Guard Force, and a conflict occurred in the border area, resulting in dozens of deaths. The general consensus is that Saw Chit Thu is directly responsible for this incident, as he controls the fraud parks and suppresses fleeing personnel with force. However, the military government has remained silent and has not responded directly to this incident.
Meanwhile, he began to be dissatisfied with just Myawaddy and started to expand his sphere of influence:
--Occupying Border Towns: In several cities on the Myanmar-Thailand border, such as Myawaddy and Dawna, his power gradually expanded, controlling several important land ports.
--Incorporating Local Forces: By bribing and threatening militarily, he annexed some small armed groups, further strengthening his military power.
--Involving in Politics: He maintains good relations with the high levels of the Myanmar military government, and through bribery and interest exchanges, BGF occupies a favorable position in Myanmar's political game, influencing the government's policy-making in Karen State.
With his power expanding step by step and his strength increasing step by step, Saw Chit Thu began to become more ambitious. In January 2024, he announced that he would no longer accept the military government's salary, no longer use the "Karen Border Guard Force" number, and instead renamed it "Karen National Army," thus breaking away from the military government sequence.
This means, "I am no longer a supporter of the military government, I am neutral, don't attack me."
This move, firstly, can prevent himself from being implicated if the Myanmar military government is overthrown in the future; secondly, it reassures the bosses of the fraud parks to settle down and enhance the value of Myawaddy; thirdly, it also warns other forces not to provoke him easily, otherwise he might "switch sides" to the opposite side to attack at any time.
However, his wishful thinking did not go as planned, and this move led the Myanmar military to urgently dispatch troops to Myawaddy to pressure him. Eventually, Saw Chit Thu was forced to retract his independence declaration and re-accept the leadership of the military government.
Sphere of Influence: Myawaddy, the "Capital of Fraud"
Saw Chit Thu's influence is mainly concentrated in Myawaddy in eastern Myanmar, which is adjacent to Mae Sot, Thailand, and is an important trade channel between Myanmar and Thailand. Due to its special geographical location, it has become a place where legal trade, gray transactions, and black industries converge.
He controls several key areas in Myawaddy, including:
1. Apollo Park (Apollo) — Core Base of the Fraud Industry
- This is the largest and core telecom fraud base in Myawaddy, gathering tens of thousands of fraud personnel.
- The fraud teams mainly target victims in China, Southeast Asia, and Western countries, defrauding millions of dollars daily.
- The park is guarded by armed personnel to prevent victims from escaping.
2. Yulong Bay Park (Yulong Bay) — Online Gambling and Underground Money Exchange
- This park specializes in online gambling and illegal financial activities, closely cooperating with various Southeast Asian criminal groups.
- The casino attracts gamblers from China, Thailand, and Malaysia through the internet, laundering billions of dollars annually.
3. Other Small Fraud and Smuggling Parks
- These parks are hidden in various corners of Myawaddy, engaging in human trafficking, drug trafficking, arms smuggling, and other activities.
- Saw Chit Thu's Karen Border Guard Force (BGF) provides armed protection for these criminal activities and collects "protection fees" from criminal groups.
The European Union imposed sanctions on "Three Su" in October 2024, mentioning that "Three Su" earns no less than $100 million annually from the telecom fraud industry. The range of no less than $100 million is too broad. $200 million is no less than $100 million, and $1 billion is also no less than $100 million.
Rumors suggest that the more likely figure is between $200 million and $500 million. So, with such enticing numbers, who would want to give up?! Even if neighboring countries repeatedly pressure, but you can't just attack inside Myanmar, right? Saw Chit Thu rules the mountain, even if things get big, he's not afraid anymore, at most just hand over some people!
In 2022, due to the fraud park issue, the Thai and Chinese governments pressured Myanmar to ban the fraud industry in Myawaddy. As a result, Saw Chit Thu only released some trapped personnel, and the fraud parks continued to operate.
In 2023, the Myawaddy fraud parks were attacked, and Myanmar opposition armed forces launched an attack on the fraud parks, causing riots within the parks, and a large number of fraud personnel took the opportunity to escape. As a result, Saw Chit Thu deployed troops to suppress and regain control of the situation, but the international attention to the fraud industry intensified, and the external pressure on the Myanmar government further increased.
In March 2024, under pressure, Myawaddy handed over more than 900 telecom fraudsters to China. Every time there is a joint operation, it seems to show Myanmar's determination to crack down on the telecom fraud industry. However, subsequent events proved that Myanmar itself could not handle Myawaddy, so how could others hope to solve this cancer? Every time, it's just handing over people and coping with external pressure.
Family Power: Building the Fraud Economic Chain
Saw Chit Thu not only controls Myawaddy's black industry himself, but his family members also manage and operate key businesses in multiple fields:
- Wife: Nang Khin Hla — Manages the daily operations of the fraud parks, including personnel scheduling and fund transfers, acting as the "housekeeper" of the entire region.
- Eldest Son: Saw Toe Har Mu — Controls Myawaddy's real estate and legitimate businesses, covering up illegal funds, acting as the "general manager."
- Second Son: Saw Chit Chi Oo — Responsible for the armed management of the Karen Border Guard Force, providing military protection, equivalent to the "security captain."
- Daughter: Honey Lander Yea — Responsible for dealing with international financial institutions, laundering black money, roughly equivalent to a "senior accountant."
A family of five firmly controls the entire industry chain in Myawaddy, turning Myawaddy into their private property!
The Future Fate of Saw Chit Thu: Can He Still Sit Steadily on the "Throne"?
Today, Saw Chit Thu's underground kingdom is facing four major challenges:
1. Increased International Pressure, China, Thailand, and other countries are jointly cracking down on telecom fraud, and Saw Chit Thu's illegal industries are facing unprecedented pressure.
2. Ongoing Civil War in Myanmar, the Myanmar military government is in the midst of a civil war, and once the situation further deteriorates, Saw Chit Thu may lose the government's support.
3. Internal Power Struggles, the fraud groups in Myawaddy have complex factions, and once Saw Chit Thu's position becomes unstable, his family may face purging.
4. Thailand's Crackdown, the Thai government has recently strengthened border control and cooperated with the Myanmar military government to crack down on criminal groups in Myawaddy.
Saw Chit Thu has controlled Myawaddy for many years, relying on armed forces, fraud, gambling, drugs, and other illegal means to build a vast black economic empire. However, as the international community's attention to Southeast Asian crime networks intensifies, his ruling position is under serious threat.
His future may depend on the development of the situation in Myanmar, the pressure from the international community, and whether he can continue to survive in the chaos!
