Thousands of Foreign Telecom Scam Workers Relocate Amid Junta Airstrikes in Myawaddy
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Thousands of foreign nationals working in illicit telecom scam operations—locally referred to as Zhapian gangs—in southern Myawaddy Township’s Kyaukkhet area have begun relocating to Sonseemyaing Village, the headquarters of the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA), according to local sources.
The mass movement began on the afternoon of July 22 following an escalation of military junta airstrikes across southern Myawaddy, near the Thai-Myanmar border. As the regime expanded its aerial bombardment into the Kyaukkhet area, large numbers of foreign workers—predominantly Chinese nationals—began fleeing the compound hubs.
"Since July 22, thousands of Zhapian workers have been arriving in continuous waves. They left Kyaukkhet and reached Thaybawboe and Sonseemyaing batch by batch due to the ongoing threat of airstrikes," a Sonseemyaing resident told KIC on condition of anonymity. "DKBA officers also arranged transport vehicles to move some of them to locations of their choice."
Displaced civilians from southern Myawaddy reported that the junta launched renewed airstrikes around Kyaukkhet on July 23, resulting in casualties. The intensified bombardment has driven both foreign workers and residents across the border into Thailand.
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