Karen State Border Guard Force joins military crackdown on cyber scams at Shwe Kokko

The Karen Border Guard Force (BGF), a pro-regime militia operating in Myawaddy Township of Karen State along the Thai-Myanmar border, is reportedly participating in a military raid on its headquarters at Shwe Kokko, 16 miles (25 km) north of Myawaddy and 92 miles (148 km) east of the Karen State capital Hpa-An.

“The fight to eliminate [cyber scams] will be carried out under the management of the [regime in Naypyidaw], and we will also take part. The war against the [scam operations] has just begun,” BGF spokesperson Naing Maung Zaw told Thai media on Nov. 17.

He added that buildings at Shwe Kokko used for cyber scam operations will not be demolished like at KK Park but repurposed for the resettlement of homeless people and regional development projects.

“This time, it has to be eliminated entirely. For the sake of the reputation of our country, our state, our ethnicity, our organization, and our leader, it is time for us to decisively uproot [cyber scams],” added Naing Maung Zaw, who invited neighboring countries like Thailand to join the BGF effort to stop the lucrative scam industry that has flourished along the Thai-Myanmar border.

BGF-led operations to shut down cyber scams at Shwe Kokko, and to repatriate foreign nationals trafficked there to work at them, began in March.

There have been allegations made that the BGF is operating or protecting criminal groups running cyber scams at Shwe Kokko, but Naing Maung Zaw has denied BGF involvement, stating that it is merely leasing land and is not engaged in criminal activities.

The BGF told Thai media that around 2,000 people returned to Shwe Kokko and nearby areas to continue participating in cyber scam operations after its crackdown earlier this year.

A total of 9,075 foreign nationals have been repatriated to their home countries since March, with another 1,267 still awaiting repatriation, according to the BGF.

Naing Maung Zaw urged countries to promptly repatriate their nationals who were trafficked into Shwe Kokko to work at the cyber scam centers.