In the Shwe Kokko New City Project located in northern part of Myawaddy Township, Karen State, security personnel from Yatai International Holding Group, responsible for monitoring traffic in the zone where Chinese businesses are located, have been shot by the Chinese businessmen themselves in an act of bullying, sources close to the matter said.
Hired by the Chinese businessmen from Yatai company to monitor pedestrian activity in the area, security personnel encountered an incident on August 3rd when inspecting a car occupied by Chinese individuals. During the check, a Chinese businessman fired a gun, resulting in a bullet hitting the security team leader.
"A Chinese businessman shot the Yatai security staff, hitting a security team leader with a bullet. It's unclear whether he survived. Conflicts have used to arise before when security checked cars with Chinese passengers. Chinese dislike having their cars inspected and often resist, yet news about problems rarely surfaces”, the source told KIC.
Yatai's Chinese businessmen employ security personnel, including migrant workers from various parts of Myanmar and some Border Guard Force (BGF) members, with at least two such shootings having occurred thus far.
"There have been two shootings in Shwe Kokko, but there are no clear reports on how they were resolved. It seems Chinese are asserting dominance by intimidating their own security staff”, the source added.
In the latest event, BGF members took the injured security leader away, and his condition, whether alive or not, remains uncertain.
Individuals seeking employment within Shwe Kokko or intending to relocate to different zones need to visit both the ward administration office and Yatai's security office to request a permit, according to a local woman.
"Reports of rape cases have emerged in Shwe Kokko nowadays. To apply for work there, you must go to the ward office and Yatai's security office, or you can also seek employment directly at Yatai Company”, she explained.
Besides Shwe Kokko, there have been similar shooting incidents in casino regions near Myawaddy Township, as disclosed by an undisclosed source with proximity to Chinese businessmen, speaking to KIC.
With the Thai authorities cutting off electricity and WiFi networks in the Shwe Kokko area and ongoing conflicts in the vicinity, certain online scam business proprietors are temporarily departing Shwe Kokko to establish operations in different regions, locals said.
"Some business owners pausing their operations are considering relocating to Laos. While some still work in Shwe Kokko, electricity and WiFi issues have made it less convenient. With the nearby fighting in Myawaddy, they appear apprehensive about staying here”, the aforementioned source said.
"Before the coup, I aimed to focus on my education after finishing matriculation. However, the coup changed everything. Considering the salary options, there aren't as many elsewhere compared to Shwe Kokko. So, I chose Shwe Kokko to support my family's needs”, a youth who migrated from a mainland area told KIC.
Individuals associated with businesses in Shwe Kokko reveal that companies enticing new online workers and operating in various sectors offer initial salaries that can go up to 15000 Thai baht, with pay often increasing based on individual employee performance.
