September 4, 2026
The military junta in Hpa-An, Karen State, is intentionally turning a blind eye to Chinese cyber scam operators who are freely moving around and staying long-term in local hotels, completely ignoring the illicit activities without taking any legal action, local residents told PRM.
According to a local eyewitness, these Chinese cyber scam workers are being harbored in hotels and guesthouses owned or co-managed by Border Guard Force (BGF) leaders. These locations include hotel compounds in the Mount Zwekabin valley, as well as downtown hotels near Thanlwin Strand Road and Kan Thar Yar Road.
“There are many Chinese nationals staying in the hotel compound owned by BGF Major Thein Zaw Min in the Zwekabin valley. You can also find them in hotels near Kan Thar Yar, Meteorological Hill Road, in front of the fire station, and along Thanlwin Strand Road. BGF vehicles actively transport these Chinese operators back and forth. At night, they are seen roaming around beer stations and night markets, either escorted by BGF personnel or with interpreters. The local police, ward administrators, and military intelligence (Sa-Ra-Pha) know all about this, but they just turn a blind eye instead of arresting them,” the eyewitness explained.
In addition to freely roaming the city, these Chinese scammers frequent illegal nightclubs, bars, KTVs, and exclusive drug consumption rooms (High Rooms) operated by corrupt businessmen affiliated with the junta. No arrests or raids are made at these venues either.
“In Hpa-An, ordinary residents don’t dare to go out after 8 PM. At night, restaurants, beer shops, KTVs, and drug rooms are packed entirely with military groups, armed factions, BGF personnel, Chinese syndicates, and crony businessmen. They can easily move around at 1 or 2 AM without any issues. Nighttime is also when they coordinate the entry of Thai cargo trucks, the transport of unregistered smuggled vehicles across the bridges, and the shuttling of Chinese operators,” a local resident added.
Currently, the military junta’s administrative bodies in Karen State heavily rely on the backup security provided by Karen armed groups like the BGF to travel and operate within and outside the towns. Because of this deep dependency, local businessmen close to the junta state that the military cannot eradicate these illegal operations. Instead, junta departments and armed groups mutually protect each other, occasionally staging fake arrests while largely ignoring the massive cyber scam industry thriving in their territory.
