Q&A: ‘We have to focus on the structure of organised crime’, says Thai MP Rangsiman Rome

One of the loudest voices calling for action against cyber scam centres on the Thai-Myanmar border, opposition MP Rangsiman Rome says Thailand’s current crackdown is only the first step.

By MATTHEW BRUNWASSER | FRONTIER MYANMAR

Last weekend, Thai opposition parliamentarian Mr Rangsiman Rome led a delegation to Mae Sot in Tak province to investigate the impact of Thailand’s crackdown on scam centres operating across the border in Myanmar’s Kayin State. Deputy leader of the People’s Party, Rangsiman serves as chair of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security, Border Affairs, National Strategy, and National Reform.

Troubled waters: Bangladeshi fishermen rocked by Rakhine war

Conflict and chaos in Myanmar’s Rakhine State have escalated the risks faced by Bangladeshis who are trying to eke out a living along the maritime border.

By MATTHEW BRUNWASSER | FRONTIER MYANMAR

The six boats were fishing last month in Bangladeshi waters, close to the maritime boundary in the Bay of Bengal, when a Myanmar warship appeared about a kilometre away.

Fearful of the Myanmar navy’s reputation for violence and aggression – including several recent attacks on Bangladeshi fishing boats – they immediately withdrew their nets and began motoring back towards the Teknaf peninsula.

But it was too late.

America first: aid freeze erodes an already anemic response to Myanmar crisis

An executive order by United States President Donald Trump has halted foreign aid programmes around the world, sowing chaos among the humanitarian community and its beneficiaries in Myanmar and Thailand.

By MATTHEW BRUNWASSER | FRONTIER MYANMAR

More than a week has passed since United States President Donald Trump issued an executive order immediately freezing all international aid pending a 90-day review. Since then, humanitarian organisations working on Myanmar have been scrambling to grasp the repercussions of the sudden edict.

“It’s pandemonium,” said an aid worker who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.

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