Thailand’s Department of Special Investigation (DSI) is seeking an arrest warrant for Col Saw Chit Thu, the leader of the Myanmar junta-allied Karen Border Guard Force (BGF), along with two other senior officers for alleged involvement in transnational human trafficking, according to Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong.
Additional suspects are identified as Lt Col Mote Thone and Maj Tin Win, according to a source from the DSI.
Controlled by the BGF, the Shwe Kokko project is recognized as a hub for transnational organized crime, located in Shwe Kokko town near Myawaddy in Karen State, Myanmar.
To facilitate the arrest of these high-ranking officials, Thailand plans to collaborate with Myanmar, alongside efforts from ASEAN and China, stated Pol Col Tawee.
Pol Col Tawee noted, “Actually, arresting these suspects isn’t difficult. However, it will largely depend on how much the [regional] leaders want to help. If they really see this [transnational crime] as a threat to their countries, they will have to act.”
The minister affirmed that the issuance of warrants is supported by robust evidence collected by the DSI, including detailed information about the money trails involved.
In collaboration with the US embassy in Thailand, the Thai government is addressing the involvement of US citizens victimized by criminal operations based in Myanmar.
In addition to the three main suspects, others are slated for arrest, including two Thai nationals employed by a company managing a resort in both Thailand and Myawaddy, revealed the DSI source.
DSI spokesman Pol Maj Worranan Srilum stated that while the request for new warrants has not yet been submitted, a recent meeting with prosecutors at the Department of Trafficking in Persons Litigation was convened to discuss these issues.
“This transnational human trafficking case involves seven Indian nationals who were recently rescued by Thai authorities from a call center scam den located in a casino called Heng Sheng in Myawaddy, directly opposite Thailand’s Mae Sot district in Tak,” said the same source.
