The Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) announced through its Central Command on November 24 that any armed group or individual who transports foreign nationals, including especially Chinese citizens, within its controlled territories will be arrested and prosecuted.
According to the statement, DKBA has completely prohibited the movement of foreign nationals within their territories, and arrests are already underway. Deputy Commander Saw Ta Palae, confirmed this to IMNA.
However, he added that some DKBA officers failed to report to Central Command, which resulted in incomplete information about the movement of foreign nationals in the areas they oversee.
On November 21, joint KNLA forces raided an online scamming site in Min Latt Pan village on the Thai–Myanmar border, an area under DKBA influence. The Karen National Union (KNU) stated that over 2,000 online scam workers were found.
DKBA spokesperson Deputy Commander Saw Ta Palae also said that the organization has ordered its officers to ensure that foreign nationals currently in the area leave, as movement is now fully restricted.
Q: What actions is DKBA currently taking regarding the crackdown on online scam operations?
A: In recent days, our senior leaders have been meeting and planning what actions to take. These plans are being prepared tightly, but at the moment, we are not ready to disclose them. Once our plans are complete, we will share them.
Q: According to your announcement, anyone bringing foreign nationals into the DKBA areas will face arrest. What measures will follow this announcement?
A: At the headquarters in Son Si Myaing, all checkpoints under DKBA control have been instructed accordingly. Transporting Chinese nationals or any other foreigners is strictly prohibited. If anyone does it—whether armed groups or any individual—we will take action. This was announced in our emergency meeting, and actions are now being implemented.”
Q: What is your response to the KNU’s statement that over 2,000 scam workers were found during the raid in Min Latt Pan village on November 21?
A: Regarding the Min Latt Pan incident—our upper-level leadership had already given instructions. To clear things up, we had already informed our officers on the ground. Whether they followed instructions or not, we do not know fully, because the directives came from above. That is all I can say.
Q: Other ethnic armed groups are also announcing operations to crack down on online scam syndicates. Is DKBA collaborating with any of them?
A: Collaboration depends on the current situation on the ground. Within our own organization, we are doing our part, but we have not yet officially announced anything publicly through the media. When our operations are complete, we will hold press briefings. For now, we are continuing our actions. At this point, I can say DKBA is working to clear out all scam-related issues connected to our territories.
Q: Some ethnic armed groups and local residents say that scam compounds are operating under DKBA protection. What is your response?
A: I have nothing further to say on that right now. What I can say is that we are doing everything we can to clear out scam activities. Within this month—or next month at the latest—we aim to eliminate them. Our leaders are working on it.
Since we issued the order, Chinese nationals are no longer allowed to move around. All interactions and movements are completely blocked. However, those who are already in the area, we have instructed responsible officers to arrange for their departure. The issue is that when local units fail to report to higher authorities, we also don’t know everything. For example, I don’t know the exact situation in Baw Ga’Li (Bya’Ha-Am), and in Three Pagodas Pass, Sector 2 is responsible. But we don’t yet have full information from that side.
To be transparent, when people talk about ‘scam operations,’ it feels like DKBA as a whole is being blamed. It’s upsetting. The truth is, these operations are not conducted by the whole organization. It is mainly individuals acting on their own. The same goes for BGF—people say the whole group is involved, but in reality, those who run these operations know exactly what they are doing individually. I am speaking only within the limits of what I am allowed to say. We do not want such activities. We are working to completely eliminate them. We do not want our name to be tarnished.
Q: Why is it important to crack down on these online scam syndicates?
A: The whole world knows about these cases. Fraud is not beneficial to the public; it harms everyone and benefits no one—not even those who do it. These activities also do not align with our organization’s principles. These scams have only arisen after 2021. I have mentioned this before in a news interview—this issue will disappear soon; it will not last. Everyone involved knows this. As an organization, we can say clearly that we will eradicate it.
Q: Any final remarks regarding the crackdown on online scam operations?
A: What I want to say is that we’re also facing communication issues here—poor internet and phone line. I had to move to a place with a signal just to take your call. Despite these challenges, our organization is working to eliminate all scam-related activities completely.
