Asia Inside Review: In Myanmar and Thailand, River Divides Hotbed of Scam Centers on One Side, Safe Haven from Military Oppression on the Other |
By Junichi Fukasawa / Yomiuri Shimbun Director and Senior Writer
11:13 JST, December 27, 2025
Although separated only by the narrow Moei River, the Myawaddy township in Myanmar and Mae Sot in Thailand could not be more starkly different. The Myawaddy area is one of the world’s biggest hubs of online scammers. The military government that for years turned a blind eye to the activities that went on in Myawaddy has suddenly started to demolish buildings used by scam groups. Across the border, Mae Sot has become a sanctuary for people who have fled from military repression.
When viewed from the hills of Mae Sot, Myawaddy appears as a lawless area that defies description. Housing complexes comprising buildings of all sizes have been constructed here and there among the fields. Against the hills in the distance, they look like a highland research town or a resort. These facilities all belong to China-linked-organized crime groups.
From these compounds, internet users all over the world are targeted through cryptocurrency investment scams, romance scams, illegal gambling and other schemes.
About 10 kilometers south of Myawaddy stands KK Park, a major compound packed with 635 buildings, some of which are at least 10 stories tall. About 10 kilometers north of Myawaddy is Shwe Kokko, a city that China-related companies and other entities have developed as a casino district. Scam centers popped up in Shwe Kokko after the COVID-19 pandemic struck. In places, the river is narrow enough that a ball could probably be thrown across to the other side.
A senior official of a local ethnic minority force said the military-allied Border Guard Force (BGF) of the ethnic Karen people were lending land around Myawaddy to scam groups. “In the past, I never saw any Chinese in Myawaddy, but they’ve built at least 26 compounds in the past five years,” the official said. “It’s just like a Chinese colony now.”
Some facilities there were equipped with electricity transmission towers and antennae that appeared to be for satellite internet services. Washing hung out to........