The army said on Wednesday that armed opposition groups had let scam centres operate under their protection, but added that it had acted after regaining control of the area

By Asaye Bankole

Myanmar’s military announced it raided an internet‑scam hub on the Thai border, arresting almost 350 people, as part of a widely publicised crackdown on thriving black‑market compounds.

The army said on Wednesday that armed opposition groups had let scam centres operate under their protection, but added that it had acted after regaining control of the area. 

Myanmar’s military conducted an operation at the gambling and fraud hub Shwe Kokko on Tuesday morning, according to the state‑run newspaper The Global New Light of Myanmar.

The report said that 346 foreign nationals, who are currently under investigation, were arrested, and almost 10,000 mobile phones used for online gambling were seized.

It stated that the Chinese‑Cambodian alleged racketeer She Zhijiang’s company, Yatai, was “the entity involved” in operating the Shwe Kokko area. She was arrested in Thailand in 2022 and extradited to China last week, where he faces accusations of involvement in online gambling and fraud activities.

Both She and his firm, Yatai, were previously subject to British and U.S. sanctions. Since the COVID‑19 pandemic, the border areas connecting Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia have become hubs for online fraud.

The United Nations reports that these regions have produced billions of dollars through trafficking of hundreds of thousands of people forced to work in scam compounds.

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