The military junta announced on 11 June that it has demolished 56 high-rise buildings hosting online scam operations in Shwe Kokko New City, Myawaddy District, along the Thai-Myanmar border.
“They demolished empty riverbank buildings that were abandoned long ago,” a Shwe Kokko local resident said. “All valuables had already been stripped, leaving only empty shells. They avoided active sites and targeted abandoned ones for show, and demolition is not a daily occurrence.”
The junta claimed 77 buildings in Shwe Kokko are slated for demolition 57 by heavy machinery and 20 by explosives. With 56 buildings currently demolished, the remaining 21 will follow, according to the junta statement.
Meanwhile, cyber scam operations persist within residential houses, high-rises, hotels, and guesthouses across Shwe Kokko and nearby areas. New buildings are under construction, and new scam workers enter the restricted Shwe Kokko territory daily.
“They do check checkpoints, but only target ordinary people,” the local said. “Those inspected vehicles carry nothing. Vehicles transporting scam workers and equipment bypass inspections entirely because of mutual arrangements.”
Another local source reported that while the Karen National Army (KNA) formerly the Karen Border Guard Force (BGF) no longer provides direct security for these scam hubs, they do not intercept or arrest those involved.
Sources confirm that online scam operations remain fully operational across the Thai-Myanmar border in Myawaddy District, including Shwe Kokko, Thit Ka Te, Phalu, Kyauk Khat, Son See Myaing, and Myawaddy town.
