KNU Seizes Another Scam Hub in Junta‑Allied Territory

The Reporters via Tha Irrawaddy

Rebel forces in Myanmar have uncovered yet another major scam centre after seizing a militia-controlled compound near the Thai border, exposing the scale of criminal operations protected by groups aligned with the junta.

The Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), the armed wing of the Karen National Union (KNU), captured the site last Friday during clashes with junta troops and the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) in Myawaddy Township, Karen State. The DKBA, long allied with the military regime, was sanctioned by the United States earlier this month for its involvement in transnational scam networks.

Fighting erupted near Min Let Pan, a DKBA-held village south of Myawaddy, as junta forces attempted to push back into KNU territory. According to local sources, DKBA fighters joined regime troops in attacking the KNLA. Several mortar rounds reportedly landed across the border in Thailand, prompting the Thai army to fire a smoke round as a warning.

Despite the pressure, KNLA units broke through and overran a DKBA compound. Dozens of militia members surrendered. What the KNLA found inside stunned even seasoned observers: a fully functioning scam hub employing more than 5,000 foreign workers from at least eight countries.

The KNU is now working to identify the workers and prepare for their repatriation. Its spokesperson, Padoh Saw Taw Nee, declined to comment in detail, saying only that a public announcement would be made “when the time comes”.

The DKBA, which split from the KNU in 1994, has long been linked to illicit operations in Myawaddy. Many of its members later joined the Karen State Border Guard Force (BGF), another militia operating under the Myanmar military. Scam centres protected by the DKBA and BGF have targeted victims worldwide; US authorities estimate Americans alone lost nearly US$10 billion to such schemes last year.

Washington has stepped up pressure, launching a new Scam Center Strike Force and sanctioning four DKBA leaders. FBI agents have also been deployed to work with Thai police on cross-border investigations.

Following the US crackdown, junta and BGF forces staged high-profile raids on the notorious Shwe Kokko scam hub, arresting more than 1,700 foreign nationals. Analysts, however, dismissed the operations as public relations theatre, noting that senior operators were once again untouched.

The DKBA has since pledged to dismantle scam operations in its territory within two months — a promise many observers doubt will be kept.

-2025-11-26