Thailand cuts power to Myanmar scam hubs after PM’s order. Thailand severed electricity to five Myanmar border areas at 9 am Wednesday, targeting scam centres. The move follows PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s directive amid rising losses and Chinese pressure. Criminal networks now rely on generators to keep operations running.
Electricity was cut off to areas across the Myanmar border from Thailand on Wednesday morning following a decision by the government on Tuesday. The move comes as the country faces strong pressure from Beijing on the ongoing crisis over call centre gangs. Significantly, it comes despite weeks of suggestions from officials at the Ministry of the Interior that the severing of electricity was a more complicated matter. Nevertheless, on Tuesday, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra made it clear she wanted action.
Soon after that, on Tuesday evening, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Phumtham Wechayachai made it clear that the ongoing damage to Thailand demanded immediate action. In short, he revealed that the kingdom had lost ฿68 billion in the last year from scam centre gang activities.
He explained that this was ฿186 million a day. At the same time, the situation was hurting the kingdom’s image abroad. Mr. Phumtham additionally emphasised that it was part of a wider package of measures which would also target Cambodia and Laos.
Subsequently, Thailand moved decisively on Wednesday to cut off cross-border electricity supplies to Myanmar. The move came after Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra gave the order on Tuesday to Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai.
Thailand cuts electricity supply to Myanmar following cabinet decision and pressure from Chinese officials
The move is believed to be linked to representations from China, whose Assistant Vice Minister Liu Zhongyi is still in the country.
Indeed, Mr. Liu had an extended meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham on Tuesday after the Prime Minister made the position quite clear following a cabinet meeting.
On Wednesday, the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) confirmed that supply to five stations or areas across the border in Myanmar was switched off. It happened at approximately 9 a.m. Notably, the electricity was switched off from the electricity supply company’s headquarters in Bangkok.
Afterwards, Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul confirmed the move. On Tuesday, as speculation swirled, he suggested that an order from the National Security Council was sufficient to take action. In fact, this came on Tuesday evening after Mr. Phumtham met with officials at the top security agency.
Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham emphasized to reporters that the security threat was clear. Furthermore, he revealed that Thai nationals were presently losing ฿186 million a day to scammer gangs. In brief, he pointed out that in one year, the Royal Thai Police had recorded 557,500 victims with total losses amounting to ฿68 billion.
Furthermore, he suggested that Thailand’s border with Myanmar would be sealed in a range of actions. At the same time, he confirmed that similar problems must be dealt with in Cambodia and Laos.
Electricity cut affects five Myanmar border points as Thai authorities move to curb scam operations
Officials with the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) on Wednesday confirmed that power from Thailand was cut at five points. At length, these power supplies were managed by concession firms based in Myanmar. However, the operations of the electricity network in many areas were carried out by a Thai contracting firm registered in Thailand.
The officials concerned told reporters that the move would see the electricity provider lose ฿600 million per annum in income. The supply being cut off is 20.37 megawatts of power over the five power points or areas.
On Wednesday, the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) confirmed that supply was cut off to Myawaddy, a notorious scam hub run by the Karen National Army and its leader, Colonel Saw Chit Thu. This is across the border from Mae Sot in Tak province.
This area recently saw three senior police officers transferred due to the ongoing scandal.
Other areas included Burmese land opposite Kanchanaburi, notably Payathongzu. In addition, power was cut to Tachileik, across the Chiang Rai border from Mae Sai.
At the same time, all telecoms and internet services were terminated. The Thai government is now also moving to tighten border security.
In particular, Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, who is also Minister of Defence, did not rule out fully sealing the border at these points on Tuesday.
China urges Thailand and Myanmar to collaborate as scam operations continue despite power cuts
Crucially, he suggested that China had recommended that Thailand, itself, and Myanmar work in unison to tackle the challenge.
On Wednesday, Minister of the Interior Anutin Charnvirakul simply confirmed the move. In addition, he made it clear that the kingdom was forced to act. The electricity supply was being used in such a way that it was causing trouble for the country. In particular, it damaged its image abroad in addition to causing massive losses to its citizens.
Certainly, tens of thousands of foreigners are being held as slave labour in Myanmar. Chinese sources suggested at least 2,000 Chinese people are being held. Indeed, so are thousands of Thai nationals.
A United Nations report in 2023 suggested that as much as 38% of Cambodia’s GDP is being driven by these scammer gangs. Meanwhile, a U.S. State Department report in 2023 put the figure of captives in that country at 10,000. More significantly, it estimated that across Southeast Asia, the number was in the hundreds of thousands.
These operations are driven by wealthy investors, often linked with Chinese mafia syndicates. They thrive in areas with broken, weak, or corrupt governance.
Criminal gangs in Myanmar sustain scam operations despite power cuts, relying on alternative energy sources
In particular, this has been the case in both Shan and Karen states of Myanmar since the Burmese civil war in 2021. Indeed, even before this, criminal gangs and private militias worked out deals with the Burmese Tatmadaw.
The Minister of the Interior on Wednesday dismissed concerns for Myanmar users or contract implications. Notably, this was a different emphasis from past briefings by officials at the ministry who suggested that the matter was complicated. Indeed, they warned about oversimplification.
In particular, this came after ferocious attacks from the People’s Party MP Rangsiman Rome, who chairs the House of Representatives security committee.
“They may face challenges of lower power supply, but we are at the point now where no one can blame Thailand for being part of or playing a part in supporting illegal acts,” Mr. Anutin declared to reporters. “They may turn to other sources of power supply or generate their own electricity.”
Scam centres in Myanmar shift to generators as Thai authorities escalate a crackdown on illegal activities
Later, in the aftermath of the move, the news from Payathongzu confirmed that this idea was not lost on scam centres. Indeed, they have resorted to this before when the power was cut in 2024. Nonetheless, it was switched on again afterwards.
A local Myanmar resident in the area confirmed that the scam centres had moved in heavy generators. In short, their lights were on while those of the local community were out.
“Over the last two days, we have seen big generators arriving into the town. Today, those generators are running, and their businesses, including scam centres, are still operating,” the local explained to Reuters. “The businesses owned by locals have stopped, and the town’s people are in trouble.”
The present crisis was caused by the kidnapping of Chinese actor Wang Xing in early January into Myawaddy. His release and the revelations of further cases shed light on the situation. Certainly, it caused outrage in China among its netizens. This led not only to cancellations of holidays in Thailand but also to criticism from the Communist Party.
Prime minister orders immediate electricity cut amid rising criticism and mounting diplomatic pressure
The scale of the problem has since been further revealed.
Nevertheless, it was not until Tuesday after the cabinet meeting that the government’s resolve was made clear. Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who is due to visit China this week, gave the order. Certainly, she wanted to see it executed immediately.
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Asked by reporters if the electricity would be cut, Mr. Phumtham, the Minister of Defence, replied, “Let’s go down today.” After that, Ms. Paetongtarn pointed her finger at the press conference podium and said:
“Today is fine. If we talk and it’s clear, then today is the day.”
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