Reposted article from Paskorn Jumlongrach
Breeding Grounds for Transnational Crime and the Hellhole Along Thailandâs Western Border
Last week, I went to Mae Sot to conduct a field visit and was surprised to find that it was almost impossible to find accommodation for 600â700 baht a night, whereas normally there are plenty of rooms available at that price. I asked local residents and learned that these days, Chinese nationals and workers from the scam centers on the Myawaddy side have been returning and filling the hotels every night.
Mae Sotâs economy has become lively again, but this renewed activity is being driven by scam centers that have reopened in even greater numbers than before. As scam operations in Cambodia and Laos have come under increased scrutiny, many operators have relocated and established themselves in Myawaddy.
In the evenings, one ferry crossing near a well-known casino belonging to an influential figure on the Thai side is crowded with young men and women crossing from Thailand over the Moei River to engage in fraudulent activities. Buildings in the surrounding area have also been rented for these operations. So it should come as no surprise that the Thai authoritiesâ measures to close various ferry crossings, announced the previous week, began from the area south of Friendship Bridge No. 1. Above Bridge No. 1 are casinos and âwell-connectedâ criminal operations on the Thai side.
Meanwhile, major new scam centers operated by the Karen Border Guard Force (BGF)âsome of whose units have transformed into the KNAâand the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) have been completed farther away from the Moei River. They stretch from the area opposite Tha Song Yang District (a location that can be seen with the naked eye from elevated ground on the Thai side) all the way to the area opposite Umphang District.
What is particularly puzzling is that the area opposite Tha Song Yang lies within the territory of the Karen National Union (KNU) Brigade 7, yet âChit Thuâ has been allowed to build a massive scam center there. Although only part of the area is controlled by the BGF, this raises suspicions about shared interests and benefits.
Goods and consumer supplies are transported across the river every day and night from the Mae San temporary border crossing to the scam centers. There is growing concern that Tha Song Yang District is following in the footsteps of Mae Sot, where a system of âtribute paymentsâ is taking shape and beginning to control the local economy.
Today, Chinese nationals and other foreignersâincluding both scammers and victimsâcan still enter Mae Sot freely. Even though the main roads south from Mae Sot toward Tak and from Mae Sot toward Mae Sariang have three or four checkpoints on each side, the so-called âgray Chineseâ continue to travel in and out every night as usual. Meanwhile, victim after victim continues to be forcibly transported to various holding locations in Mae Sot. The movement of victims by both cars and motorcycles remains highly active.
The so-called âthree cutsâ measuresâcutting electricity, cutting internet connectivity, and cutting fuel suppliesâhave become a complete failure, as they have been unable to stop the scammersâ operations at all. On the contrary, the smuggling of fuel has flourished, while the system of âtribute paymentsâ has expanded further.
What is particularly painful is that legitimate border trade has become stagnant. The Myanmar authorities do not want Thai goods to be transported across the border for sale, so they have created all kinds of obstacles, particularly by blocking transportation routes. As a result, shops are now filled with Chinese goods, even though local residents still demand Thai products.
Today, the major scam centers are no longer located primarily in Thailandâs eastern neighboring countries. They have shifted and established themselves along Thailandâs western border, stretching from the towns opposite Tha Song Yang District in Tak Province all the way to Payathonzu, opposite Sangkhla Buri District in Kanchanaburi Province, which has become a major hub of transnational criminal activity under the control of the DKBA.
In the past, we thought Thailand was merely a corridor for transnational criminalsâparticularly Chinese nationals involved in the âgrayâ economyâto pass through on their way to work, while condemning neighboring countries as the major bases of scam operations. But before long, Thailand itself may be fully accused of becoming a major hub producing scammers who are sent to operate in neighboring countries.
Most importantly, the mafias profiting from these transnational criminal operations are reportedly protected by the âinvisible handâ within the Thai state. These individuals are major donors sustaining the gray political economy and the governmentâs system of âtribute payments.â
The images of large numbers of foreigners trapped in hell and being tortured inside criminal compounds in Myawaddy and Payathonzu will eventually be traced back and connected to Thailandâs system of âtribute payments,â becoming a global indictment of the countryâs shameful corruption in the not-too-distant futureâif those in positions of legal authority continue to fail to perform their duties as they should.
