Police seeking arrest warrant for Karen rebel leader

By Thai Newsroom Reporters

THE DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL INVESTIGATION is currently taking steps to get a court-endorsed arrest warrant for Karen Border Guard Force leader Saw Chit Thu on charges of alleged involvement in crimes across the Thai-Myanmar border, according to a government official.

Saw Chit Thu has been suspected by Thai authorities as an influential accomplice in the transnational call-centre scamming and human trafficking rackets based in Myanmar’s Myawaddy township across the shared border from Mae Sot district in northwestern Thailand.

The DSI was consulting with public prosecutors in order to obtain a court endorsement for the sought-after arrest warrant for the leader of the armed Karen ethnic rebel group, the official said today (Feb 11).

Those illegal activities preying on victims in Thailand are reportedly based in Shwe Kokko, which is part of Myawaddy allegedly under control of Saw Chit Thu, the leader of the Karen rebel group operating in support of the ruling junta government in Naypyidaw under the name of the Border Guard Force in and around Myawaddy in Kayin State of Myanmar.

Given the arrest warrant, the Pheu Thai-led government in Bangkok would sooner than later manage to prompt the junta-led government in Naypyidaw to bring the Karen BGF leader to justice in the wake of his alleged involvement in the transnational crimes, according to People’s MP Rangsiman Rome.

The opposition lawmaker who concurrently chairs the House Committee on State Security, Border Affairs, National Strategies & National Reforms has earlier charged that Saw Chit Thu would probably shed some light on kickbacks in cash allegedly handed out to certain Thai government officials who had allegedly connived with those suspected criminals running cross-border scamming, human trafficking and drug dealings from Shwe Kokko and KK Park areas.

Meanwhile, National Security Council Secretary-General Chatchai Bangchuad confirmed today (Feb. 11) government measures currently taken to crack down on cross-border crimes will be by no means relented anytime soon whilst the Myanmar authorities were considerably anticipated to take action to help eliminate them.

In addition to the current shutoff of power and fuel supplies from Thailand to Myanmar’s Tachileik, Myawaddy and Payathonzu townships sharing borders with northern, northwestern and western Thailand respectively, cross-border internet signals have been ordered shut off to deny access by those scammers to prospective Thai victims, he said.

CAPTION:

Top and Front Page: Karen Border Guard Force leader Saw Chit Thu. Composite photos: Amarin TV

Insert: People’s MP Rangsiman  Rome. Photo: Amarin TV

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