Electricity, online and gas supply to close on Wednesday in five places where gangs operate
As part of its efforts to end call-center fraud gangs that have become a threat to national security, Thailand did cut light, online, and energy source in five areas of Myanmar on Wednesday morning.
The decision was made following a meeting of the National Security Council where Mr. Phumtham, who is also the defense minister, and other top officials came to the conclusion that a swift response to the safety risk was needed to stop the criminal gangs.
Three areas where the murder groups are known to work are being targeted: Myawaddy, across from Mae Sot in Tak state, Payathonzu, same Three Pagodas Pass in Kanchanaburi, and Tachilek, same Mae Sai region in Chiang Rai.
Starting from 9am Wednesday, Mr Phumtham said, services will be cut off to Myanmar-based power distributors at five connection points:
- Second Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge-Myawaddy
- Ban Huay Muang-Myawaddy
- Three Pagodas-Payathongzu
- Ban Mueang Daeng-Tachileik
- First Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge-Tachileik.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been given the task of informing the Myanmar government and letting hospitals and communities know about possible changes.  ,
How many customers of electricity who had no connection to illegal activities would be affected, and what might be done?
According to local media, Mr. Phumtham claimed that the matter had been discussed with Myanmar’s authorities because they understood that the crime groups ‘ activities were a global issue, not just those of Thailand.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra earlier on Tuesday approved a complete ban on fuel and electricity supply to sites connected to the gangs operating in Myanmar.
She claimed that the supply could be immediately cut off if there was compelling evidence that scammers were gaining from Thailand’s power and fuel supply.
In Myanmar, there are many villages that rely on Thailand for fuel and electricity close to the Thai border.
” We must take care of our people first”, the prime minister said.
She continued,” The scam gangs ‘ activities have had a huge impact on Thai people and the national image.”
This calls for serious measures that can be taken right away, the author writes. This is a serious issue that really concerns every nation.
Ms. Paetongtarn will make her first official trip to China on Wednesday, where she is scheduled to meet with President Xi Jinping to talk about cyberfraud scams in Thailand’s neighbors, trade cooperation, and other issues.
In light of concerns that some travelers were cancelling trips after a viral report about the trafficking of a Chinese actor to Myanmar via Thailand last month, the prime minister will also ask Mr. Xi to help reassure Chinese tourists that it is safe to travel to Thailand. ( Story continues below )
Late last month, Thai and Chinese officials crossed the border into the Mae Sot district of Tak to examine an economic zone in Myawaddy, Myanmar. In response to concerns about scams close to the border, Chinese officials visited them. ( Photo: Assawin Pinitwong )
Chinese fugitives
Across Southeast Asia, the multi-billion-dollar cyber scam operations have been expanding, particularly in Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar. The majority of the operators are Chinese, as are the majority of their victims.
The scam businesses have taken cover in areas of Myanmar where the military regime is losing control of territories to rebels, frequently run by Chinese fugitives who fled their home country in 2020 following a domestic crackdown.
The notorious Shwe Kokko and KK Park complexes in Myawaddy are run by Karen militias that have dissolved their affiliations with the Karen National Liberation Army, a bitter adversary of the scam gangs.  ,
In accordance with Mr. Phutham’s earlier statement, supply contracts let the Provincial Electricity Authority cut or discontinue services to gang-linked areas in the name of national security.
” From June 2022 to June 2024, more than 500, 000 Thai people fell victim]to scam gangs ] and lost over 60 billion baht”, he said. Because the issue is already serious,” I believe a gradual decrease in the power supply would be too slow.”
Myanmar’s state-run Global New Light of Myanmar, in a rare article on scam centres last month, said basic essentials, including power and internet, are not provided by Myanmar but by other countries, in a veiled reference to Thailand.
It said “foreign organisations” were investing in this infrastructure.
Myanmar’s military government since October 2023 has repatriated more than 55, 000 foreigners, overwhelmingly Chinese, who were forced to work in scam compounds to their home countries, the newspaper said.