Thailand cuts power supplies to Myanmar border towns in effort to curb scam rings Thailand on Wednesday cut off power supplies to areas in Myanmar where scam networks operate, following a public outcry demanding government action to tackle the problem.
Thailand's National Security Council and other government agencies met on Tuesday and agreed to cut off electricity, internet and gas supplies to five towns in Myanmar along the border with northern Thailand, citing national security and severe damage that the country has suffered from scam operations.
Parts of Myanmar bordering Thailand, including Myawaddy and Tachilek, are known as havens for criminal syndicates who have forced hundreds of thousands of people in Southeast Asia and elsewhere into helping run online scams including false romantic ploys, bogus investment pitches and illegal gambling schemes.
In 2023, power supplies from Thailand to Shwe Kokko and Lay Kay Kaw in Myawaddy township in Myanmar’s Kayin state were briefly cut after a contract with the Myanmar government expired.
Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos have became known as the major centers of online scam operations, while Thailand has recently received attention as an area of transit for victims of false recruitment for scams.
