Myanmar Junta Boss Vows to ‘Eliminate’ Scam Centers Amid Rising Global Pressure

Junta boss Min Aung Hlaing on Saturday vowed to completely “eliminate” online scam operations along the Myanmar-Thailand border “as a national duty”. His remarks, made during a visit to the Karen State capital Hpa-an, came as China and the US intensified pressure on transnational scam syndicates operating in Southeast Asia.

The timing of his trip is notable. Since the 2021 coup, Min Aung Hlaing has rarely set foot in Karen State, even after China, Thailand and Myanmar jointly announced a crackdown on scam centers there earlier this year.

Last week, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul personally visited Mae Sot to oversee the repatriation of foreigners arrested from scam compounds across the border in Karen State’s Myawaddy. The visit was followed by Bangkok’s handover of scam kingpin She Zhijiang to Beijing, and the unveiling by the US of sanctions against four leaders of the pro-Myanmar military Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) for allegedly supporting scam centers.