Shwe Kokko Almost Untouched by Myanmar Regime’s Scam Crackdown

More than five months after pledging to dismantle notorious cyber-scam hubs along the Thai border, Myanmar’s military-dominated regime announced Monday it has demolished a second and third building in Shwe Kokko. The regime and its allied Karen Border Guard Force (BGF) previously razed a 13-story building in early December amid mounting pressure from Beijing and Washington.

International experts and local sources say the sporadic demolitions are a ruse designed to relieve the pressure while the multibillion-dollar scam industry continues to flourish unabated.

In late October, regime forces raided KK Park, another BGF-controlled scam enclave located in the border trade hub of Myawaddy Township. The regime claimed its forces had dismantled the entire operation, demolishing all 635 buildings, arresting 2,000 scammers, and seizing tens of thousands of communication devices.