Thousands of Foreign Telecom Scam Workers Relocate Amid Junta Airstrikes in Myawaddy

Thousands of foreign nationals working in illicit telecom scam operations—locally referred to as Zhapian gangs—in southern Myawaddy Township’s Kyaukkhet area have begun relocating to Sonseemyaing Village, the headquarters of the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA), according to local sources. The mass movement began on the afternoon of July 22 following an escalation of military junta airstrikes across southern Myawaddy, near the Thai-Myanmar border. As the regime expanded its aerial bombardment into the Kyaukkhet area, large numbers of foreign workers—predominantly Chinese nationals—began fleeing the compound hubs. "Since July 22, thousands of Zhapian workers have been arriving in continuous waves. They left Kyaukkhet and reached Thaybawboe and Sonseemyaing batch by batch due to the ongoing threat of airstrikes," a Sonseemyaing resident told KIC on condition of anonymity. "DKBA officers also arranged transport vehicles to move some of them to locations of their choice." Displaced civilians from southern Myawaddy reported that the junta launched renewed airstrikes around Kyaukkhet on July 23, resulting in casualties. The intensified bombardment has driven both foreign workers and residents across the border into Thailand. "The aircraft attack in groups of three or four. They don't strike a single target—they bomb one area and then immediately move on to hit another," said a man displaced from Minletpan, south of Myawaddy. "Residents from Kyaukkhet are crossing into Thai border villages to seek refuge." Kyaukkhet, located approximately 16 kilometers from Sonseemyaing, is under DKBA control and has long functioned as a major hub for cyber scam networks. The enclave was recently highlighted by the U.S. Department of State, which announced rewards for information leading to the disruption of criminal syndicates operating in the area. Concurrently, Thai media reported that officials from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) met with Thai authorities in Thailand to share intelligence as part of a joint effort to crack down on transnational cybercrime rings. BBC Burmese reported on July 22 that the DKBA had issued an ultimatum ordering all telecom scam operations in Kyaukkhet to vacate the region by July 28. KIC attempted to contact DKBA representatives to confirm the reported airstrike casualties and the relocation directive, but calls went unanswered. The developments follow a July 9 meeting in Naypyitaw between senior junta officials and top DKBA leadership. According to regime-controlled state media, the junta warned the DKBA to cease involvement in Zhapian operations, distance itself from illicit hubs in Wawlay, Kyaukkhet, and Payathonzu (Three Pagodas Pass), and cooperate with regime forces in ongoing military operations across Karen State.