Myanmar junta accuses US of meddling over scam raids

Zaw Min Tun

Myanmar’s military regime has renewed accusations against Washington, claiming the United States is interfering in its internal affairs under the guise of tackling online fraud.

On Thursday, spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun alleged that US efforts to combat scam centres in Southeast Asia — including the deployment of FBI agents to Thailand — were part of a destabilising agenda. It was the second time in a week the junta has levelled such charges, after previously warning of a “hidden agenda” behind the creation of a regional strike force.

The crackdown on scam hubs has become a flashpoint along Myanmar’s border with Thailand. Zaw Min Tun accused the Karen National Union (KNU), the country’s oldest ethnic armed group, of involvement in operations along the Moei River. The claim followed the KNU’s seizure of a Chinese-run compound in Myawaddy Township, previously protected by the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA), a militia allied to the junta. DKBA leaders were sanctioned by Washington last month for their role in scam activities.

The KNU has called for international cooperation to investigate the site and repatriate hundreds of foreign workers trapped in the compound. It also reported regime airstrikes near the area. The junta, meanwhile, has remained silent on the role of the Border Guard Force (BGF), another military-aligned militia long accused of profiting from scam centres.

Since October, regime forces and the BGF have demolished parts of KK Park, another notorious hub, and raided Shwe Kokko, where officials claim to have arrested more than 2,000 foreign nationals and destroyed thousands of computers and mobile phones. Critics say the destruction amounts to erasing evidence of cybercrime rather than dismantling the networks.

Analysts note that scam operations generate vast sums for militia groups and the regime. The United States Institute of Peace estimates the BGF hands over half its annual earnings to the junta — around US$192 million from Shwe Kokko alone.

With elections planned by the military widely dismissed as a sham, the renewed accusations against Washington highlight the regime’s attempt to deflect scrutiny while maintaining lucrative ties to border crime hubs.

-2025-11-30