The scam syndicates have made global news headlines in recent weeks due to several high-profile incidents, including the trafficking last month of Chinese actor Wang Xing to a scam centre in Kayin’s Myawaddy Township and his subsequent rescue. This was followed earlier this month by Thailand’s cutoff of internet, electricity and fuel supplies to five locations in Myanmar where scam centres operate, including two in Myawaddy, one in Kyainseikgyi Township, and two in eastern Shan State’s Tachileik Township. The past two weeks have also seen the release of hundreds of scam centre workers from compounds in Myanmar into Thailand.
Frontier spoke with Rangsiman over the phone on February 18 after his return to Bangkok from Mae Sot. The interview was conducted in English and has been edited for length and clarity.
How would you describe the measures taken by the Thai authorities recently against the scam centres? What is the objective?
Thailand is putting pressure on the [ethnic militias] in Myanmar to cleanse the area to make sure there is no place for scam complexes. This is why Thailand is cutting electricity, internet and fuel supplies, even though it is important for both people and the scamming complexes. But in no way is this enough. If we want to make sure that scamming operations cannot work again, we have to focus on the structure of organised crime. We have to arrest the key organised crime figures. I have to say that Thailand is not doing well in this regard.
However, the first step to defeat organised crime is to focus on [Kayin State Border Guard Force leader Colonel] Saw Chit Thu [who has been accused by Thailand of harbouring scam centres in territory under his control in Myawaddy]. If Thailand can issue an arrest warrant for Saw Chit Thu, I believe we will send a clear signal that organised crime and illegal activities are not acceptable for Thailand. And hopefully Thailand will arrest other important organised crime figures as well.
How would you compare the scale of the measures to previous attempts? Is this Thailand’s biggest crackdown on the scam centres so far?
I think we have seen positive signals. We see that for the scamming compounds, it is more difficult for them to operate now and to survive. If they don’t have electricity like before, they have to use generators and fuel. They are using up their reserves. Or they will have to smuggle the fuel from Thailand, which makes it more difficult. Now we see Thailand is arresting more people involved in scamming operations. Thailand is doing better than before, but it’s still not enough. We need to move faster if we want to be sure to stop the operations of the scamming compounds.
Is it the biggest effort so far?
It is. But Thailand can do more.
Why now?
First, it’s about public opinion. People in Thailand understand more and more what has been happening, why they are getting phone calls from scammers, why they are losing money and why others are victims of human trafficking. There is more awareness among Thais about what is happening. They know it’s happening because our border is not secure.
Second, I have to admit, after the episode with the Chinese actor Wang Xing, there has been a lot of public attention on this problem, not just in Thai society but also in Chinese society. The Chinese are very serious about this. The influence of China is very important for Thailand. Somehow, Thailand has to respond and make efforts to solve the problem.
Third, it has had an impact on our tourism industry. So we can see that many people, many tourists from many countries are more aware of this, including from China. They feel unsafe in Thailand. We can see that the number of the tourists is decreasing, so Thailand has to take action.
Finally, I think because the prime minister of Thailand [Paetongtarn Shinawatra] met with Xi Jinping, the president of China [on February 6]. So if you do nothing and then you go there empty handed, it’s not good for the relationship between Thailand and China. Even though we took the first step already, the question now is: how do we maintain this pressure and the motivation of the Thai government and authorities?
What are you hearing from officials, military and NGOs about the impact of the cutoffs on the Thai side of the border?
The impact is being felt on the border with Myawaddy. The scammers buy all their supplies in Thailand. When we try to control the border, it means that trade won’t continue like before. The information I am hearing is that the scam centres only have enough fuel for their generators and alternative sources of electricity to last for 30 days. Hopefully within 30 days we will see results. But we can’t be sure. We can’t rely only on this approach. We must make sure that we destroy organised crime. But it’s not so clear whether we can do this. If we can’t arrest key organised crime leaders, it’s hard to believe that these measures alone will be enough to solve this problem.
Why did previous attempts fail to curb the scam centres, such as electricity cutoffs in 2023?
I think the earlier electricity cutoff did not work because it did not include the whole area. The scammers were still able to connect to the grid from other locations and to find other electricity supplies. But now, after we cut off the entire area, they are completely dependent on generators running 24 hours a day which requires a lot of fuel. It will be very hard for them to meet their needs by importing fuel from Thailand if our law enforcement is doing its job. But this also raises another problem we have in Thailand: corruption. We have to focus on that too.
Where does the resistance pushing back against this come from?
So far, we know of two sides: people in Myawaddy and traders in Mae Sot.
What are your expectations from the new law creating legal liability for Thai banks and telecoms for the losses of the scam victims?
What I expect is clear: responsible business practices by Thai internet providers and banks. Until now, their businesses have not been living up to their responsibilities to society. They are allowing people to open bank accounts very easily and allowing corruption inside their companies. Since we now have this law, I hope that Thai banks and internet service providers will take responsibility for their role in the loss of billions of baht by Thai people to scammers. I hope they will have better mechanisms to control bank accounts and SIM cards.
What does success cracking down on the scam centres look like? Are you concerned that if they close down in Shwe Kokko in Myawaddy Township, they’ll just move somewhere else?
This is just the first step. After they close down the scam compounds in Myawaddy, they still have others in Laos, like the Kings Romans complex. Also in Cambodia. We still have a lot of work to do. We will still need political will and effective law enforcement. And we need to stop the corruption in Thailand, which is key. Without the mafia and corruption in Thailand, the scam compounds wouldn’t be able to survive.