Thai, Chinese officials inspect destroyed scam hubs in Myanmar

Thai and Chinese officials have crossed into Myanmar to inspect the remains of major scam compounds destroyed in recent military operations, as regional authorities step up efforts to dismantle cross‑border criminal networks. The visit took place on Monday in Myawaddy, opposite Thailand’s Tak province, where several notorious scam centres once operated.

The delegations, led by Pol Lt Gen Jirabhop Bhuridej, Thailand’s assistant national police chief, and Liu Zhongyi, China’s Assistant Public Security Minister, travelled from Mae Sot early in the day before touring the ruins of KK Park and Shwe Kokko. Both sites had been bombed by Myanmar’s military since October in a campaign to root out criminal groups running large‑scale online fraud operations.

In the afternoon, the Thai and Chinese teams met Myanmar’s deputy police chief, Pol Maj Gen Min Htike Myo, on the Myanmar side of the second Thai‑Myanmar friendship bridge. The three sides agreed to strengthen intelligence sharing, restrict electricity and communications in border zones used by criminal syndicates, and accelerate the repatriation of suspected scammers.

Thai police said the destruction of the compounds triggered a mass flight of Chinese nationals involved in the scam networks, many of whom were later detained by Myanmar authorities. During the visit, Assistant Minister Liu inspected detention facilities in Myawaddy, where large numbers of Chinese suspects are being held pending their return to China.

The joint inspection underscores growing cooperation between Bangkok and Beijing as both governments attempt to dismantle transnational fraud operations that have flourished in Myanmar’s lawless border regions. For years, KK Park and Shwe Kokko were known hubs for human trafficking, forced labour and online scam syndicates targeting victims across Asia.

With the compounds now reduced to rubble, authorities hope the crackdown will disrupt the criminal networks that once operated with near impunity. But officials on all sides acknowledge that the challenge is far from over, as syndicates continue to relocate and adapt across the region’s porous borders.

-2025-12-17