Myanmar Militia Relocating Chinese Scam Operations to KNU Territory Near Thai Border

The KNA—a militia formerly known as the junta-aligned Karen Border Guard Force (BGF)—is renting local vehicles at premium rates and providing armed escorts to transport the scammers to Kyawkayhta Village. The area sits within territory where the Karen National Union’s (KNU) Brigade 7 operates. “The KNA came to rent vehicles from local villages to transport the Chinese,” a local driver told news outlet KIC. “The pay was very attractive, and KNA members provided security escorts, so drivers weren’t worried about safety.” Construction on the new scam complex began in 2025 on land the KNA bought in 2023, before its formal rebranding from the BGF. Padoh Saw Aung Maw Aye, chairman of the KNU Hpa-An District administration, confirmed that the KNU had formally objected to and banned the construction of scam facilities in its territory. However, the KNA built the complex just outside Kyawkayhta Village, near the border opposite Tak Province in Thailand. Online recruitment notices for the new operations in Kyawkayhta and Mae La are seeking foreign scam operators as well as cooks, cleaners, and security personnel from across Myanmar. The movement follows cosmetic demolitions carried out by the military regime at major scam hubs like Shwe Kokko and KK Park over the past year. Rather than shutting down the illicit industry, the crackdowns have forced syndicates to disperse to new border locations, including Kyaukkhet, Payathonzu, and territory controlled by a Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) faction.