Online scam operations in Karen State’s Myawaddy Township continue to operate despite a highly publicized crackdown by the military junta, residents say.
A Myawaddy resident said scam operations in Myawaddy and Shwe Kokko have decreased compared to before, but foreign nationals are still commonly seen in the area, and many young Myanmar people are still working jobs advertising gambling.
“Scam operations still exist at some gates in Myawaddy, including in Shwe Kokko, Phalu, and Kyaukhtat. As far as I know, the big site called AA near Ma Htaw Thalay and Inkyinmyaing is still running. It’s smaller than before, but you still see a lot of foreign nationals there. Inside Myawaddy town, at places called casino halls, you can see a lot of young Myanmar people working jobs advertising gambling. There’s still activity in the Kyaukhtat area too,” he said.
The military junta announced on July 6 that it had demolished 69 buildings previously used for scam operations in the Shwe Kokko area, and that eight remaining buildings would also be torn down.
Residents say the demolition of scam-operation buildings in Myawaddy, Shwe Kokko, and KK Park by the military junta and the Karen Border Guard Force (BGF) is merely a show.
A revolutionary-minded young person from the southern region said the lack of rule of law in Myanmar’s current situation has allowed illegal businesses to expand.
“Right now, Myanmar is essentially unrecognized by any country, so a lot of businesses operating outside the law have grown. That’s our assessment, and many people know this. There’s human trafficking, people being sold and exploited. In Yangon and other cities, people are being sold for military conscription. The same kinds of things are happening around Shwe Kokko,” he said.
Scam operations were originally established mainly by the BGF and Chinese operators. In Myawaddy and Shwe Kokko, the BGF controls the area, while the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) provides protection for scam operations in Minlatpan, Phalu, and Kyaukhtat.
A Myawaddy resident said that as authorities arrest scam workers and demolish buildings in Myawaddy and Shwe Kokko, operators are building new facilities outside Shwe Kokko town.
“Even with all this happening, large buildings are still being expanded and built on the outskirts of Shwe Kokko. Many believe these are also meant for scam operations. I heard that a lot of the relocation is happening toward Thit Kathi village,” he said.
Due to fighting between revolutionary forces and the military junta in Inkyinmyaing, Minlatpan, and Phalu, scam operations previously based in KK Park have relocated to Kyaukhtat, as well as to other major towns including in Shan State.
Political analysts say the military junta and some ethnic armed organizations, which profit significantly from scam operations, are staging their own crackdowns on these businesses as a form of political cover.
