A sanctioned strongman and the ‘fall’ of Myanmar’s Myawaddy

The key border town was ‘liberated’ by Myanmar’s anti-coup fighters, but the story was far more complex than many realised. While the junta’s remaining troops from the 275th LIB retreated, the BGF army took control of Myawaddy and Saw Chit Thu stated that they would remain neutral to avoid conflict within the city,” a source close to a Karen ethnic armed group told Al Jazeera, requesting anonymity for fear of reprisals. But when the Myanmar military made threats to destroy the town from the air and attack Shwe Kokko, a district just north of Myawaddy and the heart of Saw Chit Thu’s criminal empire where scam operations are rampant, he chose to allow the military to retake their base to entrench his power and profits. “The Myanmar military has not been able to bring in any significant new forces… It’s not like they’ve just retaken Myawaddy completely.” Fear of reprisals Since 2021, throughout Southeast Asia, Chinese criminal enterprises have expanded their scamming operations with tens of thousands trafficked into working for them. “He’s a cancer against the rule of law, good governance and human rights in Karen State, and ultimately will need to be dealt with, one way or another.” There is an unmistakable sense of fear whenever discussing Saw Chit Thu with Myawaddy residents, largely because they know that the colonel has become wealthy through extortion and other strategies that prey on the people of Karen State.