Thai man caught smuggling internet connection to Myanmar scammers
Suspect used rocket in attempt to fire cable across Moei River in Mae Sot to cyberscam operation on other side of border
A Thai man was caught on Sunday trying to run an Internet connection across the Moei River in Tak to a call-centre gang on the Myanmar side, police said.
Jongrak Leela, 30, was apprehended by a joint patrol of troops and border police on the Moei River bank in Keed Mai village, Tambon Mae Kasa, Mae Sot district.
Police said they caught the suspect attempting to use a water rocket to carry the fibre optics cable across the border river. Officials found fibre optics cable, wire to launch the cable and other tools at the scene.
Thai authorities are cracking down on the smuggling of Internet broadband connections over the Thai border to Cambodia and Myanmar for call-centre gangs to set up operations to scam Thais.
Thailand cut internet connections and mobile phone signals with the notorious cyberscam town of Shwe Kokko, just over the border from Mae Sot, in May.
Myanmar’s military regime has also launched a joint operation with Chinese security forces to crack down on border cyberscam operations. The call-centre scams are run by Chinese-speaking criminal gangs, who have trafficked hundreds of foreign workers to use as forced labour.
