Wa troops join Myanmar military in raid on northern Shan State scam centre

The United Wa State Army (UWSA) took part in the arrest of some 330 Chinese nationals during a raid on an alleged scam centre in northern Shan State earlier this week, according to sources. Members of the group were present when the arrests were made in Haipu, a village in Mongyai Township, on Tuesday morning, a resident of the area told Myanmar Now. “It wasn’t just the military making the arrests. Wa soldiers were also involved. They collaborated to make the arrests,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. In a statement released on Wednesday, the regime said the raid targeted a camp near Haipu, located about 30 miles southeast of the town of Mongyai. Junta forces also seized 15 structures, 10 vehicles, and other equipment, the statement added. Nine of the roughly 330 suspects were women, according to reports. Some of the arrested Chinese nationals can be seen in a video that has been circulating online. The video also shows a junta army officer and members of an ethnic armed group with some of the seized items. Online fraud operations have flourished along Myanmar’s borders with China and Thailand since the military seized power in February 2021. Much of the activity has been seen in areas controlled by the junta’s ethnic allies. A junta soldier guards an alleged drug production site in Namlan, Shan State, on January 14 (Photo: AFP) In late 2023, the launch of Operation 1027, an anti-regime offensive, sent many scam operators fleeing from the Wa and Kokang regions bordering China to Mongyai and other townships in northern Shan State, including Muse, Tangyan, and Kyaukme. Some operations shifted to Mongyai following a series of arrests made by Wa forces in Tangyan, sources said. “If they get a tip-off, they scatter to other nearby villages,” said a man living in Mongyai. “They negotiate with village heads and organisations in nearby areas to rent land and operate. Since they can pay, no one speaks up about them.” Since the regime began conducting raids on online scam centres in northern Shan State in December, some groups have reportedly moved even further south, including to areas controlled by another ethnic armed group, the Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA). During raids in Kyaukme and Hsipaw townships in December, more than 30 Chinese nationals and three members of the SSPP/SSA were arrested, according to a junta statement released at the time. The regime claimed that it also seized drug production equipment and SSPP/SSA uniforms during another raid on a village in Hsipaw Township on January 10. The SSPP/SSA has denied involvement in any illicit activities. After making further arrests in the area, the junta invited domestic and foreign media, as well as international diplomats, to view drug production camps in areas controlled by the SSPP/SSAA in Hsipaw and Mongyai townships. The UWSA, one of Myanmar’s most powerful ethnic armed groups, has allies fighting the regime, but has not taken part in the civil war that has raged in the country since the military seized power five years ago.

Wa troops join Myanmar military in raid on northern Shan State scam centre

More than 300 Chinese nationals were taken into custody during the raid, the regime reported

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