Mai Rupa, Dec 3, Kyaukme
The junta’s military regime announced on December 1 that 28 individuals involved in operating online scam businesses were arrested near Tawng Hteik Village, in Kyaukme Township, northern Shan State.
According to the statement, junta’s military troops conducted inspections of suspicious buildings near Dothtawady River, south of Tawng Hteik Village, on November 30 and December 2.
During the operations, 28 Chinese nationals allegedly running the scam operations were taken into custody.
The statement also noted that the seized items included buildings used for online scamming, along with related equipment such as computers and Starlink devices.
Tawng Hteik Village lies close to Pon Woe Village, where clashes broke out between the junta’s military and the Shan State Progress Party (SSPP) on November 29.
Residents of Kyaukme further told Shwe Phee Myay that scam centers have long operated in the Tawng Chay and Upper Ye Villages, near the Dothtawady River—territory under SSPP control.
“There is a scam center in Upper Ye Village. We’ve known about it for a long time. Such centers have existed in that area since the TNLA began controlling Kyaukme,” a local man familiar with the situation told Shwe Phee Myay.
An SSPP statement issued on November 29 confirmed only that fighting had taken place between junta troops and its forces in Pon Woe Village, Kyaukme Township.
In a separate statement released on November 13, the SSPP said it would step up efforts to ensure that no online scam operations are allowed to function within areas under its control.
The junta also announced that in the third week of November, its troops raided a scam gang near Mongnawng town in Kyethi Township, southern Shan State—an area where SSPP forces are active. In that operation, 26 foreign nationals and 8 Myanmar citizens allegedly involved in the scam operations were arrested.
The SSPP, however, has not issued any statements regarding the establishment or presence of scam centers within territories under its control.
Translated by #KLT
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