Can the massive scam industry on China's doorstep be stopped?

 Caught between Myanmar's militias and Beijing's demands, thousands face an uncertain fate


Don Pathan
March 28, 2025 05:05 JST

A soldier of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) burns Myanmar's national flag at a military base at Thingyan Nyi Naung village on the outskirts of Myawaddy, the Thailand-Myanmar border town under the control of a coalition of rebel forces led by the Karen National Union, in  April 2024. © Reuters

Don Pathan is a Thailand-based security analyst.

Until recently, twice a day, two plane loads of Chinese tourists on commercial flights from Bangkok would land here at Mae Sot, a border town in Thailand not known for much other than cross-border trade with Myanmar.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/Can-the-massive-scam-industry-on-China-s-doorstep-be-stopped