Karen Border Guard body enforces rules to tackle human trafficking
New rules aim to stop coercion and torture, ban underage labour, and put an end to scams and fraudulent behaviour
Major General Saw Chit Thu, chief of the Karen Border Guard Force (BGF), met with military and business leaders in Myawaddy, Myanmar on Wednesday to discuss measures for tackling transnational crimes and human trafficking, Thailand’s Ratchamanu Task Force reported.
The task force comes under the Naresuan Force, which patrols the Thailand-Myanmar border in Mae Sot district of Tak province. The Thai town is across the Mei River from Myawaddy in Myanmar’s Kayin state.
During the meeting, Saw Chit Thu announced that all business operators and partners in Myawaddy must observe the following five rules:
1. Cooperate with the BGF in monitoring information related to human trafficking networks, scammers, illegal businesses, and other groups involved in illegal activities.
2. There must be no acts of coercion, intimidation, physical abuse, and inhumane torture.
3. Use of labour under 18 years of age is prohibited.
4. No collection of money from human trafficking activities.
5. No scamming or fraudulent operations. Any businesses caught engaging in illegal activities will be shut down and forced to leave.
The task force said the meeting was attended by BGF leaders, commanders of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), and about 60 business operators in Myawaddy, most of whom are Chinese.
Analysts believe the BGF’s move aims to clean up businesses in Myawaddy, a town with several casinos, now that Thailand is in the process of passing an entertainment complex bill. The law would legalise building casino resorts in the kingdom, making it a major competitor of Myawaddy.
