Thailand cuts off power and internet access in Myanmar border area to combat scam gangs

Translation : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA

Thailand cuts off power and internet access in Myanmar border area to combat cyber fraud gangs

Reporter : Gao Hui / Editor : Ye Ziwei / https://www.epochtimes.com/b5/25/2/5/n14430327.htm / Image : Mainland actor Wang Xing was invited to film in Thailand. After losing contact at the Thai-Myanmar border, he was kidnapped to a scam park in Myanmar and was rescued on 7 January 2025. (Screenshot from the Internet)

Bangkok announced on 4 February 2025 that it would cut off electricity, internet, and gasoline supplies to some areas along the Thai-Myanmar border starting at 9 am on 5 February 2025 to crack down on cyber fraud gangs.

According to Reuters, Thai Deputy Prime Minister Paetongtarn announced the measures after an emergency meeting of Thailand's National Security Council on 4 February 2025. She also said authorities would instruct the provincial electricity board that supplies electricity to those areas to cut off power supply.

A 1996 Thai Cabinet resolution allowed local electricity authorities in Thailand to sell electricity to villages in neighboring countries. The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, the country's largest power company and a state-owned enterprise under the Ministry of Interior, has since supplied electricity to five regions in Myanmar, including the Myawaddy region.

Data from the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand shows that the electricity they supply to Myawaddy each year is enough to support a city of one million people.

According to a 2023 United Nations report, there are more than 200 online fraud parks here, with more than 50,000 Chinese practitioners alone. The report estimates that rampant fraud generates billions of dollars in revenue each year.

Now that Thailand is suddenly cutting off its supply, it seems to have hit the criminal group's vital point and cut off its financial support. However, according to an article written by "Erxiang Bo" on NetEase, it is too early to say that Myawaddy will be destroyed because of this.

The article pointed out, "First, the Myanmar military government and local armed forces are in a 'rent collection' relationship. If they really want to cut off the power supply, they can easily get electricity from China or India. Secondly, criminal groups have already prepared diesel generators, and the surge in diesel smuggling at the Thai border in 2022 is proof of this."

In addition, the article also stated that there are too many interests involved behind this criminal group: the Myanmar military government collects hundreds of millions of dollars in "protection fees" every year, local armed forces rely on dividends from the industrial park to maintain their armaments, and even some Thai border officials have been exposed to accepting benefits. The power outages may simply be a sign of a reshuffle of interests. The Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand pressed the "power off" button. This was an explanation to the Chinese people, a warning to the Myanmar military government, and a demonstration of the country's determination to fight fraud to the international community. But "we must be clear-headed and realize that as long as Myanmar's political situation remains turbulent, 'black industry incubators' like Myawaddy will resurface."

Myanmar scams hit Thai tourism

Last month, Chinese movie star Wang Xing was lured to Thailand and kidnapped to Myanmar's Myawaddy online fraud park, where he was later rescued by Thai police, making Myanmar's online scam park once again the focus of public attention.

The Thai authorities, which rely heavily on tourism revenue, are worried that such incidents will have an impact on Thailand's tourism industry. China is the largest source of tourists to Thailand. In 2024, 6.7 million Chinese tourists will visit Thailand out of a total of 35.5 million.

Affected by the Wang Xing incident, Thai tourism authorities estimated that tens of thousands of Chinese tourists canceled their travel plans to Thailand.

Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn was interviewed by the media at the Prime Minister's Office on February 4, and when talking about the Thai government's position on cutting off electricity supply to Myanmar, he said that the government had no hesitation on this matter.

She also made it clear at the cabinet meeting that if the situation on the border issue became clear, it would be entirely feasible to immediately cut off the power supply and stop the supply of petrol.

Paetongtarn stressed that the top priority is to safeguard the interests of the Thai people, as the current situation has had a significant impact on the Thai people and the country's image.

She also pointed out that the current situation facing Thailand is serious and therefore severe measures must be taken.

In addition, Paetongtarn is visiting Beijing from 5 to 8 February 2025 to try to appease the Chinese people who are frightened by the Wang Xing incident.