Online scam sites increase in Thit Ka Ti area controlled by KNA
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Phyo/Thant Zin (NP News) - January 14
A source close to The Statesman Journal said that there has been an increase in online scam sites in Thit Ka Ti village, which is controlled by the KNA (Karen National Army), a group that rebranded and disconnected from the Tatmadaw.
Thit Ka Ti is a village located about 20 miles from Myawaddy Township in Kayin State. The area is known to be under the control of Brigadier General Saw Tin Win, the military commander of KNA Brigade No. (2), which was formerly the Karen Border Guard Force (BGF). The KNU (Karen National Union) has also stated that Thit Ka Ti falls within its Military Region No. (7).
Currently, job postings for online scam sites in Thit Ka Ti Village are being seen on social media, and people are being recruited.
However, on the other hand, the infrastructure for these sites is not yet complete, and people who go to work are seen using tarpaulin roofs and shelters, and many buildings are being hastily constructed for online fraud sites.
“They have just started making new buildings, so they haven’t even reached a beginning level of the sites that they used to work. There is no air conditioning, you have to sleep with the fan on all day, the roof is made of corrugated iron and smart boards, and it’s not comfortable to live in. They even dare to torture Myanmar citizens,” wrote a TikTok user.
According to a source familiar with the matter, when the Tatmadaw cracked down on online money laundering operations in the Myawaddy region and Shwe Kokko area, these operations moved to the Thit Ka Ti and the Payathonzu areas.
“In Thit Ka Ti, the Yatai International Holdings Group has entered. The group went to the KNU’s Brigade (7) side in Thit Ka Ti. The owners of Chit Lin Myaing’s Shwe Thaung Rin Company have six wards in Shwe Kokko. Now, the people who went to Thit Ka Ti are from Ward (3) and the Chinese from Ward (6). There are six wards in Shwe Kokko, which are full of online fraud businesses. Those businesses have been in Thit Ka Ti since August 2025, when the Tatmadaw launched an offensive [in Myawaddy],” the source said.
In addition, he said that around 6,000 online fraud workers moved from these areas to Thit Ka Ti when the Tatmadaw cleared online fraud operations in Myawaddy and Shwe Kokko.
“The movement of people took place in August, September and October 2025. The Myawaddy Road was under the control of the Tatmadaw. The road that the armed group bombed. On the other side of that road, they sent the Chinese to Thit Ka Ti. On this side, they sent the Chinese to the Payathonzu. In addition, only a few thousand people were repatriated to other countries via Thailand. The total number of people moving towards Thit Ka Ti was around 6,000,” he said.
Currently, the area around Thit Ka Ti is controlled by Brigadier General Saw Tin Win, the commander of the KNA’s Military Region No. (2). Recently, at a ceremony marking the KNA’s transition from the BGF, he said that they would act as leaders and would no longer serve as subordinates.
“We must act as masters. I cannot be a servant. Do you understand?” Saw Tin Win said. At the same time, online scam sites began operating in areas around Thit Ka Ti under his control.
Similarly, around 4,000 members of other online money laundering gangs have been relocated from various locations, including KK Park near Shwe Kokko, to Payathonzu Town on the Myanmar-Thailand border, which is believed to be controlled by a DKBA leader, Colonel A1.
“As far as I know, the number of people who came to the Payathonzu areas was about 4,000 in the past 10 months. And then another 1,000 came. Let’s say about 5,000 in total. There are a lot of online scam sites in the Payathonzu areas,” he added.