According to the Chinese website in Myanmar, recent media in an online Q&A asked Colonel Naimo Zuo, spokesperson for the Border Guard Force (BGF) of Myanmar, about the ongoing operation of scam parks in the Myawaddy area and ongoing recruitment activities.
In response, Naimo Zuo denied the allegations, calling them "malicious slander" and emphasized that the BGF understands its responsibilities and is firmly carrying out clearance tasks. He stated that if there are still scam dens operating, they are not within the control of the BGF.
However, contradicting this statement of "drawing a clear line" by the BGF, Thai media revealed that while negotiating with Thailand to restore electricity to the Myanmar border area, the BGF disclosed that the operations of scam gangs were not significantly affected. The BGF admitted during the request for power restoration that the power cut measures were basically ineffective against the scam groups, as these groups are financially strong and can maintain communication through the purchase of "Starlink" satellite internet systems. Additionally, since the scam groups can still obtain fuel from inland Myanmar, despite increased costs, their operations continue.
The BGF spokesperson also acknowledged that there indeed are telecom scam groups in the Myawaddy area, but their higher-ups are not located in the border region but are hidden in other areas; only a few peripheral small villages near the border are affected. This statement confirms external observations about the "decentralized" operation of scam groups.
As early as February, Thailand had cut off electricity to five power transmission points on the Myanmar side to combat cross-border telecom fraud. Nevertheless, several Thai media reported that various scam parks and casinos in Myanmar did not cease operations but instead maintained normal operations using generators, solar panels, and "Starlink" and other technological equipment. Thai police even arrested suspects accused of smuggling fuel into the scam areas in Myanmar, showing that the local black market supply chain remains resilient.
The role of "Starlink" has particularly attracted attention. According to Global Network and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, although "Starlink" has not yet received official permission in Myanmar, about 3000 sets of equipment are actively operating within the country, with at least eight scam parks in the Myawaddy area using this technology. The equipment easily flows into restricted areas through online ordering and logistics transportation. American media "Wired" pointed out that "Starlink," due to its efficiency and resistance to censorship, poses unprecedented challenges to anti-fraud law enforcement in several Southeast Asian countries, making traditional "internet cut-off" tactics ineffective.
Furthermore, the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has recently officially designated the Myanmar Border Guard Force (BGF) and its ally, the Karen National Army (KNA), as transnational criminal organizations, imposing sanctions on BGF's main leader Su Chi Du and his two sons. The U.S. stated that these organizations, through online financial fraud, human trafficking, and arms smuggling, severely infringe upon the interests of U.S. citizens and maintain a high incidence of telecom fraud activities along the Myanmar-Thailand border.
In summary, although Myanmar verbally distances itself from responsibility for telecom fraud activities, the reality is that scam parks continue to operate orderly, with technological methods continuously upgraded, and regional law enforcement difficulties continuously increasing. In this transnational telecom fraud game, cutting off water and electricity is no longer a "root-cutting" strategy, and the international community may need a more powerful, coordinated response mechanism to truly eradicate this hidden scourge at the border.
