Latest news with #Kayin
CNA
08-05-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Hundreds flee across Thai border after attack on Myanmar military
BANGKOK: More than 300 Myanmar people fled into Thailand to seek refuge following an assault on the military by ethnic armed groups, Thailand said on Thursday (May 8), days after the junta extended a post-earthquake ceasefire. Myanmar has been mired in civil conflict since a military coup in 2021, with the junta battling a coalition of ethnic armed organisations and pro-democracy resistance forces. Wednesday's attack by the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and its allied Karen National Defence Organisation (KNDO) targeted a military base in Kayin state, about 2.5km from the Thai border, according to the Thai military. "The attack involved a close-range encirclement of the base and the use of armed drones to continuously drop explosives throughout the day," a statement said. By Thursday, 327 Myanmar nationals had crossed into Thailand and were sheltering in two temporary sites, including a temple, with Thai military and police providing security and humanitarian aid, officials said. Thai forces have ramped up patrols along the border in Tak province to prevent what officials described as a potential "breach of sovereignty by foreign armed forces". Myanmar's military government and various armed groups opposed to it announced a ceasefire after the Mar 28 quake to help relief and recovery efforts. The truce has been repeatedly broken by air strikes by the junta and attacks by armed groups.
The Independent
06-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
US sanctions Myanmar militia and warlord linked to cyber scams and trafficking
The US has sanctioned a Myanmarese militia and its warlord for their alleged role in cyber scams as well as smuggling and human trafficking rings that have cost Americans billions of dollars. The Treasury Department on Monday sanctioned the Karen National Army, an ethnic Buddhist militia group operating in southeast Kayin state bordering Thailand, its leader Saw Chit Thu, and his two sons, Saw Htoo Eh Moo and Saw Chit Chit. The militia is linked to Myanmar 's military junta, which grabbed power in a 2021 coup. The US has previously imposed a series of sanctions on the ruling junta and its leaders. The Karen National Army emerged as a distinct entity after splitting from the Myanmar military in April 2024. In its earlier avatar as a Myanmar army unit, it was known as the Karen Border Guard Force. The group was originally formed in 1994 as the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army. According to the US Treasury, the militia leases land to organised crime gangs in Myanmar and runs highly lucrative 'scam compounds' targeting Americans. Myanmar and fellow Southeast Asian countries of Cambodia and Laos have seen a mushrooming of criminal groups involved in cyber scams. These groups run multinational scams exploiting trafficked workers as well as people who have been forcibly taken, deceived or coerced into working in their scam centres, often under abusive or inhumane conditions. The UN warned last month that these criminal gangs have been expanding despite crackdowns and spreading their tentacles as far away as Ireland and Mexico. 'A significant portion of cyber scams targeting Americans and others around the globe emanate from Southeast Asia,' the Treasury said in a statement Monday, adding that such scams had lost Americans about $3.5bn (£2.6bn) in 2023 alone. The sanctions on the Karen National Army, its chief and his sons freeze any US assets they may hold and bar Americans from doing business with them. The UK and the EU have already imposed sanctions on the warlord. 'Cyber scam operations such as those run by the KNA generate billions in revenue for criminal kingpins and their associates, while depriving victims of their hard-earned savings and sense of security," deputy secretary Michael Faulkender said. Mr Thu is known to have close ties to the military rulers as he was conferred an honorary title for "outstanding performance" by junta chief General Min Aung Hlaing in November 2022. The American sanctions came as the military junta extended its ongoing ceasefire with armed rebel groups until the end of the month, the third extension since a powerful earthquake caused widespread devastation in the country. The junta chief's office said the ceasefire had been extended to accelerate reconstruction and recovery efforts in areas most affected by the 28 March earthquake. Naing Maung Zaw, a spokesperson for the KNA, said Mr Thu was saddened by news of the US sanctions but that they "will not affect us in any way". "I really cannot understand why this happened when we ... are working to crack down on scam centres and repatriate victims to their respective countries," Mr Zaw said. "We will continue the work we have started."
Associated Press
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
US imposes sanctions on Myanmar ethnic militia for 'facilitating cyber scams'
BANGKOK (AP) — An ethnic militia in southeastern Myanmar that has been sanctioned by the United States for alleged involvement in human trafficking and online scams on Tuesday denied the accusations. The U.S. Treasury Department on Monday announced sanctions against the Karen National Army, or KNA, as well as its leader Col. Saw Chit Thu and his sons, Saw Htoo Eh Moo and Saw Chit Chit. They are accused of 'facilitating cyber scams that harm U.S. citizens, human trafficking, and cross-border smuggling,' according to a Treasury Department statement. 'Cyber scam operations, such as those run by the KNA, generate billions in revenue for criminal kingpins and their associates, while depriving victims of their hard-earned savings and sense of security,' said Deputy Treasury Secretary Michael Faulkender. 'Treasury is committed to using all available tools to disrupt these networks and hold accountable those who seek to profit from these criminal schemes.' Those who are hired to carry out the scams have often been tricked into taking the jobs under false pretences and find themselves trapped in virtual slavery. The sanctions block the targeted individuals and their companies from accessing money and assets under U.S. control, and prohibit U.S. citizens from providing financial services to them. Saw Chit Thu has already been sanctioned by the European Union and the U.K. for profiting from scam compounds and human trafficking. Lt. Col. Naing Maung Zaw, a spokesperson for the KNA — which operates as the Karen ethnic minority's official Border Guard Force affiliated with Myanmar's military government — said the group's activities are aimed at regional development and not related to cyber scams. He described the U.S. sanctions as a deliberate act of abasement by a powerful country over a weaker one. 'They are doing it because they can,' he told The Associated Press on Tuesday. Local militias in several border regions have de facto control in areas where their minority groups are dominant. The KNA controls Shwe Kokko and some areas in Myawaddy, on the border with Thailand in the state of Kayin, also known as Karen state. Shwe Kokko and Myawaddy are known havens for criminal syndicates that have forced hundreds of thousands of people in Southeast Asia and elsewhere into helping run online scams, including romantic ploys, bogus investment pitches and illegal gambling schemes. Critics have accused the KNA of being involved in the criminal activities, at least to the extent of providing protection to the scam centers. Naing Maung Zaw said scam operations were carried out not only in areas controlled by the KNA but also in other places in Myawaddy. He acknowledged that his group rented land to some businesses holding the property where scam centers were located and said the KNA would continue with its mass repatriation of the foreigners working in scam centers, which it carries out in cooperation with the military government. He said 7,454 of 8,575 foreign scam workers have been repatriated through Thailand following a crackdown on the scam centers by Thailand, Myanmar and China in February. Naing Maung Zaw said more than 10,000 people remain to be identified in the KNA-controlled areas, and the group will continue to work toward the elimination of scam activities. Kayin state, which is dominated by the Karen ethnic minority, has seen intense armed conflict since the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. The U.S. has previously imposed sanctions on Myanmar's military leaders, their suppliers and state-owned banks in connection with alleged human rights abuses
