Is the key player China and their Pressure on the Junta to Clean Up Myawaddy?

The Karen Border Guard Force (BGF) has issued an extraordinary notice to foreigners running cyber- scam operations based in Myawaddy Township and neighboring Shwe Kokko town, to Vacate the area by October 31st.

Colonel Saw Tin Win, tactical commander of BGF's military region No. 2 told KIC, that foreigners running telecom scamming business operations in Myawaddy and Shwe Kokko, situated along the Thailand-Myanmar border, must depart between May 1 and October 31.

Ever since many Chinese mafia-run cyber-scam centres were closed down as part of the1027 offensive in Shan State, great many overseas Chinese shifted operations from northern Shan State, to the cyber-scam hub along the Myawaddy, alongside the Thai- Myanmar border zone.

For observers who are familiar with BGF militia’s long record of provided security protection for this Myawaddy crime nexus of  cyber-scams, trafficking, gambling and corruption, this this sudden change of new posture all points to strong external pressures.

Jason Tower, a specialist in monitoring Chinese cyber-scams for USIP( US Information Institute for Peace),told BNI,” There is strong pressure from many countries on the scamming activities of the Myanmar military and BGF, in these crimes along the Moei River. China and Thailand have both been pushing in different ways, to bring an end to this activity.”

The Karen BGF Militia spokesman Colonel Saw Tin Win elaborated  "The news about issuing a notice for them to leave within 5 months is correct. Our main focus is on Chinese telecom scamming operators. We have faced public criticism for allowing these businesses to operate here, which is why we have taken this action. All foreign online scamming operatives, whether residing here legally or illegally, must leave.”

Inside the BGF militias that operate 5 battalions protecting the Shwe Kokko and other parts of this Chinese- led crime hub the top commander is Colonel Chit Thu and it appears that Colonel Saw Tin Win is acting merely as his spokesperson with media.

The timing of this sudden shift in BGF policy can be traced to the recent visit of the Junta’s Minister of Home Affairs  Lt General Yay Pae to China last month.

In Beijing the Junta’s Home Affairs Minister held talks with his host the Chinese Public Security Minister Wang Xiaohong. Their focus was on security,eradicating online scam operations, and human trafficking, that have proliferated on the Myanmar side of the border.

USIP’s Jason Tower commented “It is probably no coincidence that China hosted Lieutenant General Yar Pyae, and it is almost certain that the Chinese pushed the military junta on this issue,”

Wang had stressed that,” China’s policy is to deepen holistic collaboration on rule of law and security while seriously eradicating trans-border crimes like online scams and the drug trade,” China’s  Xinhua News Agency reported.

It appears that the Lt General Aye Pae upon his return to Myanmar communicated China‘s insistence that  that a crackdown must take place to the BGF leaders, who until recently  had  as a proxy force integrated into the Junta’s military chain of command.

Although the BGF declared their autonomy from the armed forces as reported by BNI https://www.bnionline.net/en/news/all-karen-border-guard-force-units-be-... however BGF they recently came to the rescue of the Junta’s 257th Battalion during the recent Myawaddy conflict. Their forces played important role in the Junta to recover one Myawaddy base and also participated in the restoration of Junta’s administrative control over Freedom Bridge between Mae Sot and Myanmar.

It is almost certainly a result of Chinese pressure that prompted Colonel Saw Tin Win to announce that the BGF “ will take decisive measures against foreigners who remain beyond the Oct 31st deadline. On the other hand, BGF is open to assisting foreigners facing difficulties in returning to their home countries for various reasons to settle in nearby areas.”

The BGF confirmed that there are around 10,000 foreigners engaged in telecom scamming enterprises situated in Myawaddy and Shwe Kokko, and they claimed a considerable number have already left since BGF issued the notice.

BNI was unable to confirm that any groups of foreign scammers had recently quit from their Myawaddy  been rescued since the BGF issued their so-called“ notice to quit.”

Given the well-documented role of the BGF in providing a strong security cordon around the Shwe Kokko compound under a longstanding contract with the Chinese bosses, Jason Tower is not all impressed about the BGF’s new policy line and notes that “The BGF leaders do not acknowledge any responsibility for the tens of thousands of trafficking victims, victims of torture and other human rights violations.”

He concludes , “ “Rather than moving to arrest or crackdown on the perpetrators, instead they are giving them 5 months to simply relocate elsewhere. This crisis is far from over, and the BGF and Myanmar army are simply moving it to another location.”

But if this backsliding takes place and the Myawaddy crime nexus continues in some form the pressure on the Junta’s Lt General Yar Pyae will be intense after the rewards he picked up in Beijing.

Xinhua news reported in Beijing Wang bestowed the minister with the Golden Great Wall Commemorative Medal, awarded to officials from foreign countries who have made outstanding contributions to protecting the safety of Chinese citizens. Prior to the award the two ministers signed a deal to provide 5 million yuan in assistance to the Myanmar Police Force.