Friday, February 28, 2025

From Irrawaddy--Myanmar junta boss MAH has well-documented ties to scam centers--by Maung Kavi--with photos.

https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/myanmar-junta-boss-has-well-documented-ties-to-cyber-scam-kingpins.html
In 2018, the Myanmar Investment Commission of the since ousted National League for Democracy government approved the first phase of the Shwe Kokko New City project. However, construction activity expanded well beyond the agreed limits, leading to a government probe and suspension of the project.
At that time, Thailand shut off power and telecom services to Shwe Kokko. However, power and internet services were switched back on just weeks after the 2021 coup.
After the crackdown on scam gangs in Kokang in northern Shan near the Chinese border, they relocated to the Thai-Myanmar border, finally developing into a scam hub with protection from the regime and BGF.
They are said to be a lucrative revenue source for the Myanmar military, which collects some 50 percent of the US$192 million earned by the BGF annually from the Shwe Kokko project, according to a report by United States Institute of Peace.
Saw Chit Thu has donated cash to Sitagu Sayadaw, one of the favorite monks of Min Aung Hlaing and his family. He and She Zhijiang donated cash to Sitagu Sayadaw in 2019 in Shwe Kokko.
. . .The regime has not arrested any BGF officials, including Saw Chit Thu, and Thailand has not yet issued any arrest warrants for them either, though it said it plans to do so.