PUBLISHED: 5 Apr 2024 at 08: 18
The government was accused yesterday of breaking its pledge to stop call center gangs operating on the other side of the Thai-Myanmar border, a growing threat to Thailand and other nations, by the opposition Move Forward Party ( MPP ).
The common call center scams, according to Rangsiman Rome, an MFP list-member, led to rumors that the state may be treating the issue with the help of a coalition party’s close ties to some powerful figures connected to Myanmar’s casinos, which are also linked to call center gangs.
During the House of Representatives public debate, Mr. Rangsiman claimed that” the state is lacking in work efficiency.”
He claimed that in the state in 2020 there were more than 1.7 million fraud calls made. In 2022, that number increased by threefold to 17 million. The schemes caused at least 40 billion baht worth of injury, which is more than the resources of some ministries, he said.
Myanmar’s Myawaddy town, just northwest of the Thai border village of Mae Sot, is known as a legal hotspot for online gaming, scamming and trafficking, Mr Rangsiman said. Thai business associates are present at at least 17 Myawaddy games.
Myawaddy Complex, for one, is owned by a previous police key general who has a close relationship with the state, he said.
He claimed that a previous police sub-lteenant owned the Eastern Complex blackjack, while a second game called Sky Complex is owned by a group of scammers.
One more casino is owned by a previous permanent secretary for military, according to Mr Rangsiman.
” Are these persons an obstacle to the]Thai] authorities in dealing with Myawaddy”? he asked.
He questioned whether the state has hampered its legal obligations by failing to stop the scammers because it fears that any serious investigations will highlight the link between high-ranking officials and the judicial network.
” We]Thailand ] still allow internet connections and mobile phone signals to be used to support these criminal operations ]on the other side of the border], and we have n’t taken any serious action to stop it”, he said.
In order to combat the criminals, he suggested that the government may use a negotiation strategy involving China and the Myanmar junta.