Thailand to cut electricity to 5 locations in Myanmar at 9am tomorrow

Thailand has decided to cut electricity, oil supplies and internet services to five locations in three Myanmar border townships at 9am on Wednesday. The locations are believed to house Chinese-run call centres, which have been preying, with impunity, on victims in China, Thailand and elsewhere for years.

Thailand’s deputy prime minister for security affairs, Phumtham Wechayachai, said that financial damage to Thailand alone from these scams is estimated at more than 80 million baht a day and 86 billion baht in total to date.

The decision was made at an urgent meeting today, chaired by Phumtham and attended by Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, National Security Council Secretary-General Chatchai Bangchuad, Interior Permanent Secretary Orasit Samphantharat and deputy governor of the Provincial Electricity Authority, Prasit Chanprasit.

The decision came a day before Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra is scheduled to visit China, to join the celebrations for the 60th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations.

The locations in Myanmar to which electricity will be cut are Payathonzu township, opposite the Three Pagoda Pass district in Kanchanaburi province, Ban Muang Daeng and the Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge in Tachileik township, opposite Mae Sai district in Chiang Rai, the Second Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge and Ban Huai Muang in Myawaddy township, opposite Mae Sot district in Thailand’s Tak province.

Phumtham said that Thai authorities have already notified their Myanmar counterparts that they consider that the five locations pose an ongoing security threat to Thailand, adding that whether the Myanmar government takes action against the call centres is an internal affair.

Asked whether he is worried that Myanmar may retaliate by cutting natural gas supplies to Thailand, Phumtham gave a non-committal response and just reemphasised the damage caused by the scammers to people in multiple countries.

The call centre scamming operations are concentrated in two notorious cities, Shwe Kokko and KK Park, both located in Myawaddy.

A Thai security officer said there are about 100,000 people, of many nationalities, and a hospital in the township that will be affected by the power cut.