BANGKOK: Thailand's Department of Special Investigation (DSI) will seek arrest warrants for three leaders of Myanmar’s Border Guard Forces (BGF) on charges of human trafficking, Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong (pic) announced on Tuesday (Feb 11).
Tawee stated that the case against Colonel Saw Chit Thu, Lieutenant Colonel Mote Thone, and Major Tin Win dates back several years when Thai nationals were detained in Myanmar.
He clarified that this case is unrelated to recent crackdowns on call-centre gangs operating in Myanmar’s border towns.
However, the DSI has now gathered sufficient evidence to request the Criminal Court to issue their arrest warrants.
In addition to the three BGF leaders, several foreign nationals are suspected of involvement in the human trafficking operation, Tawee revealed, though he did not provide further details.
The BGF are military units operating under Myanmar’s Regional Military Commands, comprising former insurgent groups.
Tawee stressed that the arrest warrants are not linked to information provided by Liu Zhongyi, China’s Assistant Minister of Public Security, who recently visited Thailand.
Last month, Liu informed Thailand’s Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau that 36 major Chinese call-centre scam gangs were operating in Myawaddy, Myanmar, employing over 100,000 scammers to defraud victims.
“These names were not provided by Liu. The DSI has been working independently on this case and is proceeding cautiously,” Tawee stated.
The DSI is working closely with the Office of the Attorney-General to finalise the list of suspects before seeking arrest warrants, as the crimes occurred outside Thailand.
Additionally, the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) is collaborating with the DSI to trace and seize the financial assets of those involved.
Once the warrants are issued, Thai authorities will coordinate with Myanmar to arrest and extradite the suspects. This cooperation will be carried out through Asean channels, Tawee added.
Tawee declined to confirm whether arrest warrants would also be issued against call-centre scam gangs but noted that both the US and Chinese ambassadors had urged Thailand to take stronger action.
The US and China regard these gangs as a “threat to humanity”, he said, adding that they also operate from the Golden Triangle and are involved in the illegal drug trade.
Meanwhile, Thailand's Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa stated that he was unaware of the plans to seek arrest warrants for the three BGF leaders.
However, he emphasised that Myanmar’s government supports Thailand’s recent measures to cut off electricity and fuel supplies to five Myanmar border areas to pressure criminal groups.
Since these areas are controlled by ethnic minority groups, Myanmar’s central government lacks jurisdiction over them.
Thailand is now evaluating whether to extend similar measures to other crime hotspots such as Poi Pet in Cambodia and Kings Roman in Laos, Maris added. - The Nation/ANN
