The Associated Press reported that Washington has sanctioned the KNA, as well as its leader Colonel Saw Chit Thu.

Myanmar Militia: Casino and Scam Center Allegations

The Treasury also sanctioned the leader’s sons, Saw Htoo Eh Moo and Saw Chit Chit. Washington says the groups have helped run criminal networks that have caused chaos across Southeast Asia.

The sanctions will see banks freeze US-based assets linked to the Saw family and the KNA. They also prevent American citizens from engaging in business operations with the militia.

The Treasury claims the KNA has run cyber scams that have caused harm to US citizens. The militia is also involved in human trafficking and cross-border smuggling, the Treasury added.

US think tanks have been publishing allegations about KNA’s operations in Myanmar, particularly in the city of Shwe Kokko, for several years.

The city, in Myawaddy District, was built between 2017 and 2020. It features Yatai New City, named for the construction firm Yatai.

AP wrote: “Criminal syndicates in the area have reportedly forced hundreds of thousands of people, including foreigners, into labor at online scam centers that operate romance frauds, fake investment pitches, and illegal gambling operations.”

The KNA says that it leases land to international companies that operate a range of facilities in Shwe Kokko.

In a BBC report published in February this year, Yatai told a journalist that “rich people from many countries” rent villas in the city, from which they run hotels and casinos.

However, Washington says that the city is also home to scam operations that generate billions in illicit revenue for crime syndicates. The Treasury says that workers are often lured to Karen State under false pretenses.

Karen National Army: US Is Trying to Bully Myanmar

AP quoted a KNA spokesperson as stating that Washington was trying to bully a weaker nation with its sanctions package.

The spokesperson conceded that some scam centers operated in areas controlled by the KNA. But the KNA said it was working with the Myanmar armed forces to shut down these centers.

It said it had repatriated over 7,000 Thai workers during a February crackdown. And it said it was working on scores of similar cases. But the KNA admitted that some 10,000 people remain unaccounted for in the areas it controls.

Yatai told the BBC in February that scam operators have been forced out of Shwe Kokko. The firm has reportedly told residents that it will not tolerate forced labour or “online businesses.”

However, the BBC said that it was “quietly told by local people that the scam business was still running.”

An Australian casino operator in the city told the same media outlet that online gambling was “the main business in Shwe Kokko.”

‘Criminal Empires’

In 2022, the Washington-backed United States Institute for International Peace claimed that the KNA “reaps massive profits from growing criminal empires” in the areas it controls.

The think tank claimed that the city’s architects have abandoned plans for a large network of casinos in favor of scam compounds and “zones designed without physical casinos.”

Formerly known as the Karen Border Guard Force, the 7,000-soldier strong KNA reportedly has battalions stationed in Hlaingbwe, Hpapun, Myawaddy, and Kyainseikgyi.

Shwe Kokko sits on the west bank of the Moei River, which separates Myanmar from Thailand. The Thai police force has recently announced plans to combat tech-related crimes and human trafficking in border areas.

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The Bangkok Post called the bill a “political time-bomb” for the Pheu Thai-led government coalition ahead of a parliamentary vote.

Lawmakers were due to vote on the bill on April 9. However, the government has since decided to delay a decision until the next parliamentary session. Parliament will reconvene in early July after a summer break.

Thai Casino Bill: Coalition Parties at a Crossroads

The cabinet approved the bill in late March. However, the government has since promised that a committee of lawmakers will conduct a detailed review ahead of a second reading.

Critics have accused the government of fast-tracking the bill. The draft law seeks to legalize casinos operating exclusively in special entertainment complexes.

Backlash has been fierce in parliament and beyond. This month, demonstrators who oppose the bill gathered outside the parliament building in Bangkok to express their displeasure.

Bhumjaithai Party Decision Key

The political tensions center mainly on the stance of the Bhumjaithai Party, the coalition’s second-largest political grouping.

The Bhumjaithai Secretary-General, Chaichanok Chidchob, has already declared his opposition to the bill. If Bhumjaithai distances itself from it, it would need to exit the coalition and surrender control of the Interior Ministry.

That would leave the Pheu Thai-led government with a tiny majority in parliament, forcing it to begin bargaining with smaller parties for the support required to see out its term.

However, if Bhumjaithai supports the bill, the media outlet wrote, “the entire government will become a target for critics who oppose casinos.”

Thanaporn Sriyakul, the head of the Political and Public Policy Analysis Institute, said Bhumjaithai would “face setbacks no matter what decision it makes.”

Thai Casino Bill ‘Could Boost Treasury Coffers by $8.5B’

Advocates believe the bill could provide the Treasury and businesses with an essential financial boost.

The government wants to reduce the economy’s dependency on seasonal tourism. It thinks the move will boost foreign tourism by up to 10%, which could boost incomes by as much as $8.5 billion per year.

Advocates envisage a new network of complexes including various non-gambling facilities. These include hotels, water parks, concert halls, and indoor sports arenas. Casinos would operate in just 10% of the complexes’ space.

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has claimed the government will continue to take public input. She also vowed to communicate the bill’s aims clearly. Opponents, however, want the government to abandon it altogether.

Police Raid on Gambling Venue Unearths Drugs and Military Weapons

Meanwhile, Thai police say they found evidence of illicit gambling, alongside drugs and “war weapons” in an illegal entertainment complex for workers from Myanmar.

The same media outlet wrote that 200 police officers raided the complex. Officers said it was housed in a rented warehouse in Samut Sakhon’s Mueang Samut Sakhon district.

Police said they discovered narcotics hidden in a sofa and the corners of the warehouse’s rooms. They also said they found “military-grade guns and ammunition” at the site.

The Governor of Samut Sakhon said that police launched an operation after learning that a Myanmar national was using the warehouse to house 150 fellow Myanmar nationals.

Last month, the Royal Thai Police announced plans to launch a special task force to fight IT crimes and human trafficking in border areas.

The move came after a UN agency warned that major international crime groups have infiltrated casino and betting operations in Thailand and other Southeast Asian nations.

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