THE MYANMAR junta together with Karen National Army dynamited a 12-storey building used for online scam operations and human-trafficking at Shwe Kokko Special Economic Zone in Myawaddy border town, opposite Thai Mae Sot town, PPTVHD36 said today (Dec. 3).
This building is next to the Moei river, which forms the border between the two countries, and at the appointed time the Myanmar Army detonated the bomb inside the mid-rise building with the loud explosion echoing throughout Shwe Kokko.
A large plume of smoke and dust rose into the sky, visible from afar to residents of both countries. The explosion caused panic among those living close to the Thai-Myanmar border as the whole building collapsed within minutes of the sound of explosion being heard.
Shwe Kokko Special Economic Zone sprung up in 2017 after Chinese investors received a concession from the Myanmar government in an area controlled by the Karen National Army. However, it has since become a hub for both black and white businesses.
Chinese scammers have spread their scams across the world, with both those willing and those deceived to work as scammers, being located in this zone. The Myanmar military launched a decisive crackdown, leading to a wave of foreign scammers fleeing across the border to Thailand’s Mae Sot district, Tak province.
Meanwhile, a third group of 300 Chinese nationals who worked at fraud factories like KK Park and Shwe Kokko flew back home from Mae Sot International Airport upon being deported by Thai security officials and Immigration Police.
Myanmar authorities had asked Thailand to coordinate with China to fly these scammers back home and Beijing is sending six chartered flights a day to take them back for prosecution.
The deportation will last four days with a total of 1,208 Chinese scammers returning home after completing legal proceedings under Thai law.
CAPTIONS:
Top and Front Page – The 12-storey scam hub building collapsing after being dynamited. Photo – PPTVHD36’s stringer
Insert – A Chinese chartered airplane at Mae Sot International Airport. Photo – PPTVHD36’s stringer
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