Karen warlord vows to end all call centers in Myawaddy this month

Leader of the Karen Border Guard Force (BGF), Saw Chit Thu, vowed today to stamp out all Chinese-run scam call centres in Myanmar’s Myawaddy border township within this month.

He also promised full cooperation with Thai authorities in getting rid of all scam gangs and “grey” Chinese-run businesses in Myawaddy, which is under the BGF’s control.

Speaking to a group of Burmese and Thai reporters at the BGF’s headquarters today, the Karen warlord claimed that he had nothing to do with the operations of the online scam gangs, but only collects rent for the land occupied by the call centres.

He claimed that arrest warrants have been issued against more than 1,000 people suspected of involvement in the call centres. He also disclosed that there are about 70,000 foreigners, of various nationalities, but most of whom are Chinese, in Myawaddy.

Meanwhile, it is reported that Chinese nationals sent across the border from Myawaddy into Thailand’s Mae Sot district will be repatriated on chartered flights from Mae Sot airport, without going through the normal screening process by Thai authorities.