NDSC Information Team Leader outlines international cooperation in combatting telecom fraud and online gambling in the Myawady region

TODAY, I want to inform our citizens and the media about the ongoing efforts to crack down on online gambling activities in the Myawady area, as well as the cooperation being carried out with international partners. On the morning of 18 November, security forces to­gether with departmental teams conducted an operation in the Shwe Kokko area, located to the north of Myawady. First, they cleared three buildings that had been constructed without official permission. During the opera­tion, 346 foreign nationals cur­rently under scrutiny were ar­rested. Nearly ten thousand mobile phones used in online gambling operations were also seized, along with related equip­ment. We are also blocking and apprehending individuals at­tempting to flee across the bor­der. There are three areas with­in this zone where online gambling operations have been active. Number one is the KK Park area, number two, the Shwe Kokko area, and number three, the Chongkhaed area. As every­one already knows, the KK Park area is located to the south of Myawady. The Shwe Kokko area is located to the north of Myawady, and the Chongkhaed area lies at the southernmost end. I have already clearly ex­plained in the past who has been involved in these areas. Regard­ing the KK Park area, I previous­ly briefed everyone with evi­dence, who signed agreements, when those agreements were made, how the agreements were concluded with members of the KNU, how operations were car­ried out, and who was involved. In the KK Park area, the main entities involved are the Mulaei Alin Company and the Tran-Asia International Holding Group (Thailand). In the Shwe Kokko area, the entity involved is the Myanmar Yatai International Holding Group Company. In the Chongkhaed area, the Chong­khaed Garden Resort company is involved. We have already ex­plained how the foreign nationals involved in online gambling and telecom fraud operations arrived in these areas. Roughly 99.5 per cent of those foreign nationals engaged in online scams entered Myanmar through the neigh­bouring country. After 2021, fight­ing occurred in those areas, which are located some distance away from Myawady. In those areas, ethnic armed organiza­tions (EAOs) and groups such as the KNU, the KNLA, some EAOs that are signatories to the NCA, as well as groups operating un­der the name of border guard forces, have been active. Busi­ness operators seeking personal profit approached these groups and, through their connections, carried out these unlawful activ­ities. We started online gambling crackdown operations in areas around Myawady where we had administrative control. As the situation has gradually stabilized, we have been conducting terri­torial administration and opera­tions, and we are working to completely eradicate online scam activities from their roots. In car­rying out these operations, our security personnel, soldiers, and staff have risked their lives and made sacrifices of blood and sweat. We have inspected the foreign nationals who entered the area illegally, and we have released some of the inspection records so that the media and the public can be informed. From those records, it is clear where these individuals came from and what activities they were in­volved in. The three areas I men­tioned earlier – KK Park, Shwe Kokko, and the Chongkhaed ar­eas– receive basic utilities such as water, electricity, and telecom­munications from the neighbour­ing country. Because of this, the neighbouring country has also taken some measures, expressed objections, and carried out cer­tain actions regarding the situa­tion. In the first area where we began territorial clearance and administration – KK Park – we worked to prevent any chance of online gambling operations re-es­tablishing themselves. To achieve that, we destroyed 100 per cent of the buildings in that area. Ma­chinery was used to demolish structures, and some high-level explosive demolitions were also conducted. Regarding these demolitions, the neighbouring country has raised objections, saying that debris had fallen in­side their territory. We have vid­eo records documenting these actions. We have already shown, through video evidence, that the debris did not fall into their ter­ritory. I would like to show a pho­to here. This is a building inside KK Park that we demolished. When we carried out the demo­lition, the structure collapsed straight downward. Because ad­vanced demolition techniques were used, the building fell di­rectly onto itself. As a result, even the nearby trees were unaffected – none of them moved, showing that debris did not fall towards the neighbouring country. In ad­dition, we also demolished a ho­tel located near the border with the neighbouring country. During that demolition, it was also clear­ly observable that no debris fell into their territory, not even into the river that forms the bounda­ry between our two countries. Based on this, we are continuing our operations to demolish and clear structures in the area. An­other point is that the United States issued a statement dated 12 November. This is the state­ment we came across today. In this statement, it says that the United States has formed the District of Columbia Centre Strike Force (SCSF) to protect the US against telecom fraud schemes. When we examined the announcement, we found that it states the strike force was estab­lished to safeguard the United States from cyber-fraud activi­ties, including cryptocurren­cy-related scams, based mainly in Southeast Asian countries. There are some notable phrases in the statement that I want to point out. One unusual phrase appears in the third paragraph, where it alleges that transnation­al criminal organizations (TCOs) operating through China are us­ing cryptocurrency investments, fraudulent schemes, and various types of deception to steal the savings and livelihoods of Amer­icans daily. Another section claims that scam centres are enriching “Chinese criminal net­works” across generations by funnelling money from the Unit­ed States into their pockets. It also mentions Myanmar, stating that a group called Strike Force Burma carried out operations against two scam centres in My­anmar. As for how they conduct­ed those operations – or whether they actually did – we do not know. There has also been no evidence of such operations on the ground. The statement fur­ther claims that FBI agents were sent to Bangkok to work with the Royal Thai Police War Room Task Force to help dismantle fraud hubs in Myanmar, including places like KK Park. What I am presenting here is taken directly from their two-page statement. When we analyze these points, we assess that, rather than sim­ply focusing on combating online fraud and online gambling – as they claim – the country may have a deeper hidden agenda behind these actions. As for us, in the northeastern Laukkai re­gion, we formed a China–Myan­mar Joint Task Force to address online gambling and telecom fraud operations, and we contin­ue to implement those measures. In addition, in Kayin State’s Myawady area, we have estab­lished the Myanmar-Thai­land-China Trilateral Coopera­tion mechanism, and that cooperation is still ongoing. On 14 November 2025, we attended the six-nation meeting held in Kunming, China, where China, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam discussed joint efforts to combat telecom fraud. We are also cooperating with this group. What I want to emphasize here is that telecom fraud and online gambling do not harm only Myanmar. These crimes also target people from many countries around the world – anyone who can be deceived. As a matter of national respon­sibility, Acting President of the Republic of the Union of Myan­mar and Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Senior Gener­al Min Aung Hlaing has instruct­ed that these crimes must be addressed firmly. He has also spoken clearly about this during public meetings. This is a serious issue. Therefore, we urge all My­anmar citizens and all media organizations: if you receive any information related to telecom fraud or online gambling, please report it to the relevant authori­ties. Let us work together to con­front this problem. The Govern­ment of Myanmar also want to state that we will continue coop­erating with the six-nation joint task forces and regional mecha­nisms to eliminate telecom fraud and online gambling operations from Myanmar’s territory. We will work to root out these activ­ities entirely. Thank you all.