Thailand to seek arrest of Saw Chit Thu and other top Karen BGF leaders: Thai media

Thailand’s government is preparing to issue warrants for the arrest of three senior members of the Karen Border Guard Force (BGF), including top leader Col. Saw Chit Thu, according to Thai media reports. Saw Chit Thu, along with close affiliates Col. Saw Mote Thon and Maj. Saw Tin Win, is suspected of involvement in online scam syndicates operating in BGF territory along the Thai-Myanmar border in Karen (Kayin) State’s Myawaddy Township, the reports said. Citing Thailand’s Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong, local media outlet the Thai Enquirer reported on Tuesday that the Department of Special Investigations began legal proceedings to arrest the three after submitting evidence of their alleged role in transnational human trafficking cases to government prosecutors. Rangsiman Rome, a Thai MP who is also deputy secretary-general of the Move Forward Party, has been vocal about taking decisive action against border-based crime rings. The decision to issue arrest warrants came just two days after his latest public appeal. Rome said the BGF had leased lands to scam centre operators, which had led to human trafficking and enslavement, harming both Thai and foreign nationals. The Shwe Kokko New City and KK Park, both located in Myawaddy Township, have become infamous for human trafficking, forced labour, and online financial scams. BGF leaders have long been suspected of providing protection for these operations. “It’s time for the Thai government and the justice system to take decisive action on Saw Chit Thu. And the Thai government should immediately carry it out responsibly,” said Rome. Thailand has also faced international pressure to take action against the scam centres operating along its border with Myanmar, most notably from China. Last week, Thai authorities cut electricity and restricted fuel supplies to Myanmar’s Myawaddy, Tachileik, and Payathonzu border zones, known for transnational crime syndicate activities. The move earned praise from Chinese President Xi Jinping, who thanked visiting Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra for taking “strong measures” against the crime hubs. However, reports indicate that the move has done little to curtail large-scale criminal activity on the Myanmar side of the border. Subsequently, the country’s military junta has also restricted fuel shipments to Myawaddy in response to growing pressure. Thai soldiers take security measures in the border town of Mae Sot, opposite Myawaddy, in April 2024 (EPA) Meanwhile, videos taken within the scam centres, as well as the testimony of those who have escaped, attest to the severity of the abuses taking place at these sites. In one video that has recently surfaced, a foreign victim can be seen being tortured at a scam centre, believed to be located in Myawaddy. A Kenyan man who made it across the border to Thailand last Sunday said he had also been tortured after he initially refused to work as a scammer. He also claimed there were about 1,000 people at the facility where he was held, including Bangladeshi, Cambodian, Ethiopian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, and Kenyan nationals. Despite the mounting evidence of criminal activity in areas under the control of the BGF, the group—which is aligned with Myanmar’s junta—has denied any wrongdoing. “Why do they want to arrest us? What have we done? We are not Thai citizens, nor have we committed any crimes in Thailand. We do not understand the Thai government’s actions,” said the BGF’s deputy commander, Lt-Col. Naing Maung Zaw. He told Myanmar Now that the charges against Saw Chit Thu, Saw Mote Thon, and Saw Tin Win were completely unjustified, as they had nothing to do with human trafficking. “We do not understand these accusations. There is widespread news about the arrest warrants, but we have never acted against Thailand. We have committed no crimes there,” he reiterated. According to a report released by Justice For Myanmar in May of last year, the BGF runs an extensive network of illegal enterprises, many of them connected to criminal gangs from China, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Singapore. The report also states that these operations are conducted with the support and protection of Myanmar’s junta. In December 2023, the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on Saw Chit Thu, Saw Tin Win, and Colonel Saw Min Min Oo, citing their involvement in these illicit activities. Maj-Gen. Zaw Min Tun, the spokesperson for Myanmar’s military regime, claimed on Saturday that the junta was actively working with international partners to combat online scams and illegal gambling operations. “The Myanmar government is collaborating internationally to dismantle illegal online gambling, financial fraud, and scam syndicates,” he said. During a February 3 meeting with chief ministers and other officials, junta leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing stated that decisive action was being taken to end scam operations, which he said had led to numerous difficulties in the country. According to Zaw Min Tun, on February 6, the regime helped to transfer 61 individuals who had been trafficked to work in online scam centres in the Shwe Kokko and KK Park areas to Thailand. These victims included 39 Chinese nationals, 13 Indians, five Indonesians, one Kazakh, one Ethiopian, one Pakistani, and one Malaysian, he said.

Thailand to seek arrest of Saw Chit Thu and other top Karen BGF leaders: Thai media

The move is the latest by Thailand aimed at curtailing large-scale criminal activity along its border with Myanmar

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