Thread: Thailand to cut power, oil, and internet to five Myanmar sites at 9am Wednesday

Thailand has decided to cut electricity, oil supplies and internet services to five locations in three Myanmar border townships at 9am on Wednesday.


The locations are believed to house Chinese-run call centres, which have been preying, with impunity, on victims in China, Thailand and elsewhere for years.


Thailand’s deputy prime minister for security affairs, Phumtham Wechayachai, said that financial damage to Thailand alone from these scams is estimated at more than 80 million baht a day and 86 billion baht in total to date.


The decision was made at an urgent meeting today, chaired by Phumtham and attended by Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, National Security Council Secretary-General Chatchai Bangchuad, Interior Permanent Secretary Orasit Samphantharat and deputy governor of the Provincial Electricity Authority, Prasit Chanprasit.


The decision came a day before Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra is scheduled to visit China, to join the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations.


The locations in Myanmar to which electricity will be cut are Payathonzu township, opposite the Three Pagoda Pass district in Kanchanaburi province, Ban Muang Daeng and the Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge in Tachileik township, opposite Mae Sai district in Chiang Rai, the Second Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge and Ban Huai Muang in Myawaddy township, opposite Mae Sot district in Thailand’s Tak province.


Phumtham said that Thai authorities have already notified their Myanmar counterparts that they consider that the five locations pose an ongoing security threat to Thailand, adding that whether the Myanmar government takes action against the call centres is an internal affair.


Asked whether he is worried that Myanmar may retaliate by cutting natural gas supplies to Thailand, Phumtham gave a non-committal response and just reemphasised the damage caused by the scammers to people in multiple countries.


The call centre scamming operations are concentrated in two notorious cities, Shwe Kokko and KK Park, both located in Myawaddy.


A Thai security officer said there are about 100,000 people, of many nationalities, and a hospital in the township that will be affected by the power cut.


The sudden change, from foot dragging over the issue of electricity supplies to Myanmar border townships which help sustain the operations of call centres, came after Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra ordered Phumtham to take action, in consultation with the National Security Council.


Earlier Phumtham said that the PEA can take the action without having to seek approval from the cabinet or reporting to the National Energy Policy Board.


He warned that, if the PEA governor does not take action today as ordered, he may be transferred, as he reminded the PEA not to be obsessed with making money from the cross-border sale of electricity, but also to take into account the damage caused to people who are duped by Myanmar-based call centres, which rely on the supply of electricity from Thailand for their illegal activities.


Phumtham went on to say that he feels uncomfortable with the buck passing by agencies which are supposed to take the necessary action to disrupt the call centres.


Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul stated earlier that, though, that he is waiting for a written order from Phumtham before the PEA, which is under the supervision of the Interior Ministry, takes the action as ordered.


He insisted that the PEA cannot just terminate the electricity supply without an official order from the deputy prime minister in charge of security affairs.


He also said that the specific areas in Myanmar, to which the PEA will cut the electricity supply, must be clearly identified, adding that the PEA has, previously cut the power supply to three locations in Myanmar.

Thailand to cut power, oil, and internet to five Myanmar sit

Thailand's power supply cuts to Myanmar affecting people, hospitals and schools

Thailand’s electricity supply withdrawal from the Tachileik border township in Myanmar is expected to affect about 7,500 homes, five hospitals, 45 schools, 65 temples and 15 army camps, said Natkhanet Charasveesirikul, manager of Provincial Electricity Authority’s (PEA) Mae Sai office.


He said that there are about 200 emergency patients in hospitals there, who depend on ventilators, and it will take at least three days for Myanmar’s engineers to source an alternative supply from Laos.


The PEA cut power to five locations in Myanmar at 9am today, including two in Tachileik. Refined oil supplies to Tachileik were also suspended.


Many motorists and motorcyclists have been flocking to petrol stations in Tachileik, for fear that petrol supplies will now dry up. Dozens of tankers are now parked at the Mae Sai border crossing and the drivers have been told that they are not allowed to transport the petrol they contain to Myanmar.


Each month, petrol worth about 400 million baht was being delivered to Myanmar through Tachileik.


Tak’s Governor Chucheep Pongchai urged Thai people living close to the border remain calm and not to be overly concerned about any consequences of the power cuts.


He disclosed that almost 100% of the electricity in Myawaddy came from Thailand, adding that the cuts will affect about 70,000 Myanmar citizens in the townships, as well as about 100,000 other people, of various nationalities, but mostly Chinese.


Well-informed border sources say that some people in Payathonzu township, opposite the Three Pagoda Pass in Thailand’s Kanchanaburi province, have been buying generators as a backup measure.


The sources also say that Thai border forces have increased the monitoring of the border passes, to prevent the smuggling of generators and petrol into Myanmar.

Thailand'''s power supply cuts to Myanmar affecting people, ho

Myanmar township power supply cuts to cost PEA Bt600m annually

Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said today that the cutting of electricity supplies to five locations in Myanmar border townships will cost the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) about 50 million baht per month in lost revenue.


To date they have been supplying 20.37 megawatts of electricity annually.


He maintains, however, that the measure is necessary for national security reasons, after it was discovered that the electricity was being used to power call centres, and has nothing to do with breaches of contract or politics.


The cuts will be to one location in Payathonzu township, opposite the Three Pagoda Pass in Kanchanaburi, two in Tachileik township (Ban Muang Daeng and the First Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge) and two in Myawaddy township (2nd Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge and at Ban Huai Muang).


The minister was due to be at the PEA head office this morning when the power was cut at 9am, but he arrived about half an hour late and watched the cutting of the electricity supply to Ban Nuai Muang on a computer monitor.


Anutin said he could not prevent any of the Myanmar companies, which buy electricity from the PEA, from filing civil lawsuits demanding compensation, but he declined to comment on similar contracts with Cambodian companies purchasing electricity for use in Poipet, opposite the Aranyaprathet district of Thailand’s Sa Kaeo, which is also know to be the location of call centres.


Representatives from the Foreign Ministry and the National Security Council (NSC) reported to the House Administrative Affairs Committee about the power cuts today.


Pathai Sitthisunthorn, of the NSC, told the committee that, in addition to this morning’s power cuts, the NSC and related agencies are now considering the ceasing of oil supplies and internet services to the Myanmar townships.


Komkrit Jongboonwatana, of the Foreign Ministry, said they did notify their Myanmar counterparts about the security threat to Thailand posed by the call centres and of the need to cut electricity to these scammers.


He also said that the Foreign Ministry has assured Myanmar that the cuts will not affect people who are not connected with the call centres.

Myanmar township power supply cuts to cost PEA Bt600m annual

Under pressure from China, Thailand finally cracks the whip on scam call centers

After coming under criticism for many months for failing to act decisively against scam call-centers operating from across the border, the Thai government finally took the reins.


The National Security Council decided at a meeting on February 4 that the Thai Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) will cut off electricity, internet service and fuel supply provided to five locations in the scam cities in Myanmar beginning 9am on February 5, Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said.


The decision was made after discussions with all parties involved, following the unanimous conclusion that this issue affects the security of the Thai people, he said.


With an estimated 550,000 cases, the total damage caused by the fraudsters amounts to over 86 billion baht, with an average loss of over 80 million baht per day, he revealed.


A few hours after the decision Phumtham, who is also defense minister, met with China’s assistant minister Liu Zhongyi to discuss the issue of scam cities. China wants Thailand to cut off supply routes to block all possible paths for the scamsters.


“Whether or not the border will be closed, as the Chinese official demanded, needs to be considered, but I told him that any decision on this matter must be a joint agreement, as both countries share common issues,” Phumtham told reporters.


“Thailand's sovereignty must also be respected, and China has agreed to this.”


Meanwhile, there is also the idea of holding a meeting first between Thailand, China and Myanmar to discuss the matter, he added.


Critical visit by Chinese official


The Thai government had dragged its feet for long in dealing with the festering issue, but the visit by Liu appears to have imparted momentum.


During his meetings, Liu had managed to secure an undertaking from the Thai side to crack down on a dozen scammers operating in Myanmar’s border areas near Mae Sot district in Tak province.


The Chinese delegation had four requests when they met their Thai counterparts in the Royal Thai Police led by Police Inspector General Thatchai Pitaneelabut, who is in charge of the anti-human trafficking center.


-The Chinese government wanted the Thai authorities to cut off public utilities, such as electricity, water supply, and internet signals, used by call center gangs operating on the Myanmar side.


-The Thai government was urged to negotiate with ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) governing the Myanmar border areas to release Chinese nationals who were deceived into working there, and repatriate them to Thailand. China estimates that approximately 3,000 - 5,000 such individuals are being detained to work in the scam cities.


-Beijing wants to establish a Thai-Chinese coordination center at the border area in Mae Sot district.


-China also wants the Thai police to arrest Chinese nationals found to be involved in call-center scam activities along the Myanmar border. Chinese authorities believe there are likely more than 50,000 individuals engaged in such activities.


Since 2019, scam hubs near the Myanmar-Thailand border, particularly in Karen State, have become centers for cybercrime, where trafficked individuals are forced into online fraud activities.


Key hotspots include Shwe Kokko, a hub for scams, money laundering, human trafficking, and arms trading. Another major hub, KK Park in Myawaddy, mirrors Shwe Kokko’s role, notorious for forcing laborers into internet scams. A newer hub, known as Chong Khaep, Taizhang, or Tha Chang, has gained attention.


These operations are led by Chinese criminal groups with protection from the EAOs and the Tatmadaw allied Border Guard Force, which remains a key enforcer for many scam centers.


No decisive agency


Before Liu’s visit, opposition MP Rangsiman Rome had called on the government and relevant agencies to cut off power supply and other utilities provided by Thailand to the scam cities along the border.


Thailand's electricity power supply to the scam cities along the border became a controversy for years since the PEA, a state enterprise under the jurisdiction of the Interior Ministry, claimed that it was authorized by a Cabinet resolution in 1996 to sell power to Myanmar without any acknowledgment of illicit business in the border areas.


Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said he has no authority to cut off the power supply to Myanmar’s border without a Cabinet order.


“Since the Ministry of Interior is the implementing authority, we have been ordered to sell electricity to neighboring countries for humanitarian reasons,” said Anutin, who is also a deputy prime minister. “If there is a reason to stop supplying electricity, the entity that ordered us to sell it must notify us to stop; we cannot cease the supply on our own.”


The Interior Ministry’s responsibility was solely to transmit electricity across the border, but it did not know to whom it was distributed on the receiving end—as that is not within the jurisdiction of the PEA, he said.


Anutin suggested, however, that if the Myanmar authorities requested a power cut, the process would be straightforward, as the matter could be submitted directly to the Thai Cabinet for action.


Electricity supply to Myanmar


In urgent cases, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra could issue an immediate directive, according to Anutin.


PEA deputy governor Pradit Fuangfoo said the PEA earns an average of 800 million baht per year from selling electricity to Myanmar, out of total electricity sales of 600 billion baht. The electricity is sold at the same price as in Thailand, making it a very small proportion of the total revenue, he added.


Currently, the PEA sells electricity to five Myanmar-registered companies in five locations along the border.


They are sold to Allure Groups at Ban Muang Daeng and the Thai Myanmar Friendship Bridge in Tachileik, Shan State; Mya Pan Investment and Manufacturing Co via Three Pagoda Pass in Mon State; Nyi Naung Oo Co and Enova Grid Enterprise via the 2nd Thai Myanmar Friendship Bridge-Myawaddy and to Shwe Myint Thaung Yinn Industry & Manufacturing Co in Ban Huay Maung, both in Karen State.


The electricity supply at the power trading points to Myanmar was conducted with contractual partners who have been granted concessions for electricity trading by the Myanmar government, Pradit said.


These partners have undergone verification for legitimacy and document credibility by the Foreign Ministry, he said, adding that the PEA coordinates with Thai security agencies in the area before supplying electricity to Myanmar.


Upon pressure from China via a request from the Myanmar embassy in Bangkok, however, Thailand cut off power supply to Shwe Kokko scam city in 2023.


No urgent plan


Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa said that the issue was discussed in a meeting of the special task force for managing the situation stemming from unrest in Myanmar but needed more details before making any decision.


The task force which just convened its first meeting on January 31 after activation in late October last year assigned National Security Council (NSC) secretary-general Chatchai Bangchuad to collect information and opinions from relevant agencies before a decision within a month, he said.


Chatchai said he was not able to make the final decision but would check with the EPA and other relevant agencies before making recommendations to Prime Minister Paetongtarn who is the chairperson of the NSC.


Thailand’s move to respond has been slow. Maris’s task force was the second one since Pheu Thai formed a coalition government in 2023.


The first one, set up during the administration of Srettha Thavisin and chaired by then Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-nukara, was able to call only one meeting before the end of the government.


Maris said after the meeting on January 31 that his task force aimed at securing, controlling, and regulating border areas to reduce illicit activities including cyber-scamming, human trafficking, and drug smuggling.


The task force also wanted to see normalcy in the border areas with Myanmar to enable trade and other business activities as usual, he said.


“It is crucial to control the movement of various factors, including people, goods, and resources, to prevent support for undesirable activities or transnational crimes,” Maris told reporters.


“Authorities must monitor and track suspicious individuals to prevent them from using border areas for criminal activities, especially foreign nationals, who require stricter surveillance, control and enforcement measures,” he said.

Under pressure from China, Thailand finally cracks the whip

Trade Concerns Rise as Thailand Halts Power, Fuel Exports to Myanmar Border

Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Phumtham Wechayachai chaired a meeting today on suspending electricity and fuel exports to Myanmar border areas to disrupt transnational crime operations (Mostly call center scams).


The decision affects five key locations, including Three Pagodas Pass in Kanchanaburi, the Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridges in Tak and Chiang Rai, and two villages in Mae Sot. The suspension took effect on February 5th at 9:00 AM.


The affected areas fall under three customs checkpoints—Mae Sai, Mae Sot, and Sangkhla Buri—which had a combined export value of over 91 billion baht in 2024.

Authorities are closely monitoring the economic impact, with concerns that short-term power cuts may disrupt legitimate local businesses and residents in Myanmar, though illegal casinos are expected to continue operating with backup power sources.




The suspension of fuel exports may have long-term effects, increasing power generation costs and forcing businesses to find alternative supply routes. Meanwhile, Thailand’s Foreign Trade Department is preparing to host a cross-border trade fair in Mae Sot in late March 2025 to strengthen economic ties.


Myanmar has been engaged in a brutal civil war for several years between the military junta and various ethnic armies, dividing the country into multiple pieces.

Trade Concerns Rise as Thailand Halts Power, Fuel Exports to Myanmar Border - The Pattaya News

Power cuts to Myanmar will affect Thailand’s border economy - Phumtham

Deputy Prime Minister for Security Affairs Phumtham Wechayachai said today that the electricity, fuel and internet cuts to five locations in three Myanmar border townships will negatively affect Thailand’s border economy, but maintains that the measure is unavoidable if the operations of scam call centres are to be disrupted.


He said it is too soon to assess the full impacts or success of the measure, because the power supply has only been cut for a day, but that power consumption in Shwe Kokko, one of the two centres of call centre operations in Myawaddy, has reduced by 60%.


Regarding the possibility that Myawaddy and Tachileik townships may source electricity from Laos as an alternative, the deputy prime minister said he might approach Laos for talks about possible cooperation in the crackdown on the call centres.


He also said that he will instruct Thai security forces to step up border patrols, to prevent the use of hundreds of people, each carrying a small amount of petrol purchased in Thailand into Myanmar, known locally as the “ant army”.


The five locations in Myanmar where electricity supplies have been cut include two each in Myawaddy and Tachileik and one in Payathonzu township, opposite the Three Pagodas Pass in Kanchanaburi province.

Power cuts to Myanmar will affect Thailand’s border economy

Some dim solar-powered lights seen in Myawaddy tonight

Myawaddy and Payathonzu border townships are not completely blacked out last night, as lights can still be seen in some buildings from the Thai border on the first night without power, fuel or internet supplied from Thailand.


The sound of generators in Myawaddy is clearly audible to people living near the border in Thailand’s Mae Sot district.


A resident of Myawaddy told Thai PBS reporters in Mae Sot that many houses in the town had installed solar panels and generators. He expressed concern, however, that hospitals and government offices are being most affected, because they normally draw a lot of electricity.


Thai businessmen are concerned that the Border Guard Force, which is controlling Myawaddy, may retaliate by restricting the import of goods from Thailand, which would affect cross-border trade, estimated at about 100 billion baht annually.


The Border Command Centre in Tak province has been assessing the situation since the power supply was cut this morning and believe that the people in Myawaddy are, for the time being, still able carry on with their normal lives, albeit less convenient.


The centre also predicts that some people may evacuate from Myanmar into Mae Sot, to live with relatives, if the power cuts are prolonged and alternative sources of power prove insufficient.


Meanwhile, Thai officials and troops have increased patrols of border crossings in the Three Pagodas Pass in Kanchanaburi, opposite Payathonzu township, to prevent the smuggling of generators, solar panels and petrol into Myanmar.


Some residents of Payathonzu said that they began preparing for the power cuts over a week ago.


In a number of houses and buildings, dim lights, powered by solar panels, could be seen from the Three Pagodas Pass.

Some dim solar-powered lights seen in Myawaddy tonight

DPM Phumtham Reviews Impact of Border Power Cut on Crime Suppression

The Thai government is evaluating the impact of its recent decision to cut electricity to certain areas along the Thai-Myanmar border, aiming to tackle drug trafficking and call center scam operations. This action is designed to disrupt criminal networks that have caused significant harm to Thai citizens. Although the move is still in its early stages, authorities are carefully monitoring its effects on regional security and the local economy.


Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Phumtham Wechayachai stated that initial assessments show minimal effects on Thai border communities, but the consequences on the Myanmar side are still being evaluated. While acknowledging potential economic losses, he emphasized that national security remains the top priority. Criminal syndicates have long exploited weak enforcement zones in these areas, making firm action necessary.


According to Phumtham, after the first day of the power cut, illicit activities in Shwe Kokko —a well-known hub for call center scams—declined by approximately 40%. However, he cautioned that it is still too early to determine the long-term effects, and authorities will continue monitoring criminal activity to assess whether further reductions occur.


Regarding concerns that Myanmar may seek alternative electricity sources from Laos, Phumtham stated that such a move is within Myanmar’s sovereign rights. However, he reaffirmed that Thailand’s focus remains on securing its borders and dismantling criminal operations within its jurisdiction.


Thai authorities have also been instructed to tighten enforcement measures and block alternative smuggling routes used by transnational crime groups. Meanwhile, reports that internet services in affected areas remain partially functional are under investigation to ensure a comprehensive disruption of illegal activities.


Phumtham acknowledged that economic repercussions are unavoidable, but he stressed that the decision was made purely on security grounds, not political or emotional considerations.

NBT WORLD - DPM Phumtham Reviews Impact of Border Power Cut on Crime Suppression