Today, I want to inform our citizens and the media about the ongoing efforts to crack down on online gambling activities in the Myawady area, as well as the cooperation being carried out with international partners. On the morning of 18 November, security forces together with departmental teams conducted an operation in the Shwe Kokko area, located to the north of Myawady. First, they cleared three buildings that had been constructed without official permission. During the operation, 346 foreign nationals currently under scrutiny were arrested. Nearly ten thousand mobile phones used in online gambling operations were also seized, along with related equipment. We are also blocking and apprehending individuals attempting to flee across the border. There are three areas within this zone where online gambling operations have been active. Number one is the KK Park area, number two, the Shwe Kokko area, and number three, the Chongkhaed area. As everyone already knows, the KK Park area is located to the south of Myawady. The Shwe Kokko area is located to the north of Myawady, and the Chongkhaed area lies at the southernmost end. I have already clearly explained in the past who has been involved in these areas. Regarding the KK Park area, I previously briefed everyone with evidence, who signed agreements, when those agreements were made, how the agreements were concluded with members of the KNU, how operations were carried out, and who was involved. In the KK Park area, the main entities involved are the Mulaei Alin Company and the Tran-Asia International Holding Group (Thailand).

In the Shwe Kokko area, the entity involved is the Myanmar Yatai International Holding Group Company. In the Chongkhaed area, the Chongkhaed Garden Resort company is involved. We have already explained how the foreign nationals involved in online gambling and telecom fraud operations arrived in these areas. Roughly 99.5 per cent of those foreign nationals engaged in online scams entered Myanmar through the neighbouring country. After 2021, fighting occurred in those areas, which are located some distance away from Myawady. In those areas, ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) and groups such as the KNU, the KNLA, some EAOs that are signatories to the NCA, as well as groups operating under the name of border guard forces, have been active.

Business operators seeking personal profit approached these groups and, through their connections, carried out these unlawful activities. We started online gambling crackdown operations in areas around Myawady where we had administrative control. As the situation has gradually stabilized, we have been conducting territorial administration and operations, and we are working to completely eradicate online scam activities from their roots. In carrying out these operations, our security personnel, soldiers, and staff have risked their lives and made sacrifices of blood and sweat. We have inspected the foreign nationals who entered the area illegally, and we have released some of the inspection records so that the media and the public can be informed. From those records, it is clear where these individuals came from and what activities they were involved in. The three areas I mentioned earlier – KK Park, Shwe Kokko, and the Chongkhaed areas– receive basic utilities such as water, electricity, and telecommunications from the neighbouring country. Because of this, the neighbouring country has also taken some measures, expressed objections, and carried out certain actions regarding the situation. In the first area where we began territorial clearance and administration – KK Park – we worked to prevent any chance of online gambling operations re-establishing themselves. To achieve that, we destroyed 100 per cent of the buildings in that area. Machinery was used to demolish structures, and some high-level explosive demolitions were also conducted.

Regarding these demolitions, the neighbouring country has raised objections, saying that debris had fallen inside their territory. We have video records documenting these actions. We have already shown, through video evidence, that the debris did not fall into their territory. I would like to show a photo here. This is a building inside KK Park that we demolished. When we carried out the demolition, the structure collapsed straight downward. Because advanced demolition techniques were used, the building fell directly onto itself. As a result, even the nearby trees were unaffected – none of them moved, showing that debris did not fall towards the neighbouring country. In addition, we also demolished a hotel located near the border with the neighbouring country. During that demolition, it was also clearly observable that no debris fell into their territory, not even into the river that forms the boundary between our two countries. Based on this, we are continuing our operations to demolish and clear structures in the area. Another point is that the United States issued a statement dated 12 November. This is the statement we came across today. In this statement, it says that the United States has formed the District of Columbia Centre Strike Force (SCSF) to protect the US against telecom fraud schemes. When we examined the announcement, we found that it states the strike force was established to safeguard the United States from cyber-fraud activities, including cryptocurrency-related scams, based mainly in Southeast Asian countries. There are some notable phrases in the statement that I want to point out. One unusual phrase appears in the third paragraph, where it alleges that transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) operating through China are using cryptocurrency investments, fraudulent schemes, and various types of deception to steal the savings and livelihoods of Americans daily. Another section claims that scam centres are enriching “Chinese criminal networks” across generations by funnelling money from the United States into their pockets. It also mentions Myanmar, stating that a group called Strike Force Burma carried out operations against two scam centres in Myanmar. As for how they conducted those operations – or whether they actually did – we do not know. There has also been no evidence of such operations on the ground. The statement further claims that FBI agents were sent to Bangkok to work with the Royal Thai Police War Room Task Force to help dismantle fraud hubs in Myanmar, including places like KK Park. What I am presenting here is taken directly from their two-page statement. When we analyze these points, we assess that, rather than simply focusing on combating online fraud and online gambling – as they claim – the country may have a deeper hidden agenda behind these actions. As for us, in the northeastern Laukkai region, we formed a China–Myanmar Joint Task Force to address online gambling and telecom fraud operations, and we continue to implement those measures. In addition, in Kayin State’s Myawady area, we have established the Myanmar-Thailand-China Trilateral Cooperation mechanism, and that cooperation is still ongoing. On 14 November 2025, we attended the six-nation meeting held in Kunming,

China, where China, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam discussed joint efforts to combat telecom fraud. We are also cooperating with this group. What I want to emphasize here is that telecom fraud and online gambling do not harm only Myanmar. These crimes also target people from many countries around the world – anyone who can be deceived. As a matter of national responsibility, Acting President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Senior General Min Aung Hlaing has instructed that these crimes must be addressed firmly. He has also spoken clearly about this during public meetings. This is a serious issue. Therefore, we urge all Myanmar citizens and all media organizations: if you receive any information related to telecom fraud or online gambling, please report it to the relevant authorities.

Let us work together to confront this problem. The Government of Myanmar also want to state that we will continue cooperating with the six-nation joint task forces and regional mechanisms to eliminate telecom fraud and online gambling operations from Myanmar’s territory. We will work to root out these activities entirely.

Thank you all.

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