BGF’s Saw Chit Thu forced to join Myanmar military in crackdown on Shwe Kokko scam hubs

Col Saw Chit Thu, Secretary-General of the Karen Border Guard Force (BGF), has reluctantly complied with orders from the Myanmar military to deploy BGF troops alongside soldiers from Division 22 to suppress online scam syndicates operating in Shwe Kokko. The town is reportedly a major scam hub located south of Myawaddy in Karen State, opposite Ban Wang Pha in Mae Ramat district and Ban Wang Kaew in Mae Sot district, Tak province.

A source from the Thai-Myanmar border reported that this joint operation will be serious and uncompromising, despite the BGF’s dissatisfaction with the Myanmar army’s directive. The BGF is nevertheless compelled to act after online scam networks — previously claimed to have been eradicated in March 2025 — have returned and resumed large-scale fraudulent operations, targeting victims worldwide.

The pressure to crack down has caused widespread panic among Chinese nationals and other foreign workers inside Shwe Kokko throughout the night, the source said, as many fear arrest by Myanmar troops. Meanwhile, BGF forces have sealed border crossings, preventing foreign workers from fleeing into Thailand.