The opposition Move Forward Party (MFP) accused the government yesterday of failing to honour its promise to stamp out call centre gangs operating on the other side of the Thai-Myanmar border -- a growing threat to Thailand and other countries.
According to Rangsiman Rome, an MFP list-MP, the widespread call centre scams led to speculation that the government may be turning a blind eye to the problem because a coalition party has close ties with some influential figures linked to casinos in Myanmar, which are also connected to call centre gangs.
"It has even added to the fact that the government is lacking work efficiency," Mr Rangsiman said during the general debate against the government in the House of Representatives.
He said there were more than 1.7 million scam calls made in the country in 2020. That number jumped tenfold to 17 million in 2022. The scams caused at least 40 billion baht worth of damage, which is more than the budget of some ministries, he said.
Myanmar's Myawaddy township, just north of the Thai border town of Mae Sot, is known as a criminal hub for online gambling, scamming and trafficking, Mr Rangsiman said. At least 17 casinos in Myawaddy have Thai business partners.
Myawaddy Complex, for one, is owned by a former police major general who has a close connection with the government, he said.
Another casino called Sky Complex is owned by a former police sub-lieutenant, while the Eastern Complex casino is owned by a gang of scammers, he said.
One more casino is owned by a former permanent secretary for defence, according to Mr Rangsiman.
"Are these people an obstacle to the [Thai] government in dealing with Myawaddy?" he asked.
He wondered if the government has neglected its duty to take action against the scammers because it is afraid that any serious suppression efforts could expose the link between high-ranking officials and the criminal network.
"We [Thailand] still allow internet connections and mobile phone signals to be used to support these criminal operations [on the other side of the border], and we haven't taken any serious action to stop it," he said.
He said the government should adopt a negotiation model involving China and the Myanmar junta to combat the gangs.
This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/politics/2771078/move-forward-party-demands-action-on-call-centre-gangs
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