By – People’s Radio Myanmar
The Thai Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant on July 27 for Lieutenant Colonel Saw Mote Tone , a leader of the Karen Border Guard Force (BGF) recently rebranded as the Karen National Army (KNA) for his involvement in transnational human trafficking and cyber scam operations south of Myawaddy.
The warrant was approved following a request by Thailand’s Department of Special Investigation (DSI). Investigations revealed that Mote Tone colluded with transnational criminal organizations by providing them with facilities, accommodations, and logistical support to carry out human trafficking. The case was built after DSI successfully rescued an Indian national who had been lured and forced to work in a call center gang in Myawaddy, which eventually linked the operations to high ranking BGF officials. Mote Tone serves as the commander of BGF Battalion 1022, which controls the southern zone of Myawaddy directly opposite Mae Sot, Thailand. This strategic border area is notorious for housing massive scam centers, online gambling operations, and illicit smuggling networks.
Previously, in October 2024, the Council of the European Union imposed sweeping sanctions on key BGF figures, including Col. Saw Chit Thu, Lt. Col. Mote Thun, Maj. Tin Win, and the Chit Linn Myaing Group (CLM), for their financial ties to the illicit scam hubs in Shwe Kokko and surrounding areas. This latest legal action by Thailand signifies growing coordinated international pressure against the sprawling criminal syndicates operating along the Myanmar-Thailand border.
