Saw Chit Thu: From Karen warlord to scam emperor

Saw Chit Thu, the Karen warlord who controls Myanmar’s notorious scam hub of Shwe Kokko, has come under intense pressure from Thailand and China to curb international cyberfraud in his territory.

After Thailand cut off electricity, fuel and internet to Shwe Kokko as part of a China-led crackdown, Chit Thu vowed on Monday (February 17) to eliminate call-centre scammers under his jurisdiction. He made the pledge during a press conference at his Karen National Army (KNA) headquarters in the border town of Myawaddy, attended by local and international media.

The KNA was formerly known as the Karen Border Guard Force (BGF), a Myanmar junta ally that rebranded in March 2024 in an apparent attempt to distance itself from the military regime. It is thought to comprise around 6,000 troops under Saw Chit Thu’s control.

Saw Chit Thu claimed his militia launched a crackdown on cyber scams and human trafficking on February 14 following media reports about call-centre syndicates and forced labour in Myawaddy. He said all scam compounds would be eradicated from the area by the end of February.

He denied any involvement in the Chinese-run scams, claiming the KNA only receives rent from businesses operating on its land.

However, rights group Justice for Myanmar (JFM) accuses his militia of deep involvement in Chinese-run online scams, illegal casinos, and online gambling operations in Myawaddy.

Through collaboration with the Myanmar military, Chit Thu “has built a criminal business network with his family members and associates”, JFM said.

Saw Chit Thu, 54, claims that his militia has now “rescued” more than 1,000 foreign nationals from the scammers. The first 260 of these victims – 221 men and 39 women from 20 countries – were handed over to Thai authorities last week.

The warlord also vowed “full cooperation” with Thai authorities in ridding Myawaddy of Chinese scam gangs and “grey” businesses.

His apparent about-turn came after Thailand’s Department of Special Investigation (DSI) sought his arrest for human trafficking. China also ramped up pressure by sending its Assistant Minister for Public Security Liu Zhongyi to meet with KNA leaders in Myawaddy this week.

Becoming a power broker

Saw Chit Thu, aka San Myint, is a veteran commander and tycoon with significant influence in Karen territory on the Myanmar-Thailand border.

Born in a village in Karen (Kayin) State, he has been a key player in Myanmar’s ethnic conflict for decades.

Originally a junior commander in the Karen National Union (KNU), he later joined the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), formed in 1994 by Buddhist Karen soldiers who broke away from the predominantly Christian-led KNU. Chit Thu and the DKBA allied with Myanmar’s military to fight his former comrades.

In early 1995, he led DKBA troops in capturing the southern KNU stronghold of Kawmoora.

He was rewarded with control over Shwe Kokko village, which he helped transform into a global hub for cyber-scams, trafficking and illegal gambling through a multibillion-dollar partnership with Chinese “grey money”. The partnership marked a turning point, catapulting Saw Chit Thu from rebel fighter to border power broker.

Shwe Kokko, which means “golden raintree”, lies in Kayin State’s Myawaddy township, separated from the Thai border district of Mae Sot in Tak province by the Moei River. The BBC has exposed Shwe Kokko as “a city built on scams, home to a lucrative yet deadly nexus of fraud, money laundering and human trafficking”.

Notorious ‘development project’

In 2010, Chit Thu agreed to the previous junta’s demand to transform the DKBA into a Border Guard Force under the Myanmar military. As BGF commander, he had control of Myawaddy’s lucrative black-market economy. Gambling, cross-border trade and smuggling became the lifeblood of his growing empire.

With the arrival of cash-rich Chinese investors, Shwe Kokko was turned into a casino town and a hotbed of cyber-scam operations. Chit Thu ensured a profitable revenue-sharing arrangement with Myanmar’s military, further boosting his wealth and influence.

Chit Thu and his family members control six businesses and minority stakes in two “scam cities” in Kayin State, The Irrawaddyreported last May.

In 2016, the Karen warlord struck a deal with Chinese businessman She Zhijiang of Yatai International Holding Group to develop Yatai New City in Shwe Kokko. She Zhijiang was detained in Bangkok in August 2022 on an Interpol arrest warrant requested by China.

In December 2023, Britain sanctioned Chit Thu for his alleged involvement in “the trafficking of individuals to Shwe Kokko Special Economic Zone where they were forced to work as scammers and subject to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment”.