Scammers here and there

About a week ago, we posted on scammers. In it, we mentioned People’s MP Rangsiman Rome calling on Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul to take action to stop the Provincial Electricity Authority from supplying power to Myanmar’s Myawaddy township. The electricity is consumed by suspected call-centre scammers and drug dealers.

Royalist Anutin

Anutin has spent the whole week deflecting responsibility to other “security” sources he refused to identify. To the cynical it seemed that Anutin was protecting scammers.

Indeed, it has all become interesting as even Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai saying Anutin needed to get on with the job. Anutin again stalled.

A Bangkok Post report provides more interesting tidbits.

Anutin tried to get the National Security Council “to clarify the legal steps needed for the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) to cut off the power supply to areas in Myanmar where criminal activity…”. The NSC insisted that it has no authority to do this.

Anutin has said that the “PEA supplies electricity to five areas in Myanmar: Payathonzu Town in Kayin State, two parts of Tachilek Town in Shan State, and two areas in Myawaddy in Kayin State.” Interestingly, this suggests that the electricity is going to specific sites. One might guess what’s going on there.

Anutin also referred to a “cabinet resolution from May 14 last year stating that the Ministry of Interior should coordinate with certain agencies to suspend the provision of cross-border public utility services that have been used illegally for drug networks, money laundering, scam gangs and human trafficking.” So the stalling has been going on for more than eight months!

The PEA is reported to have “said that it would require a declaration from security authorities in Thailand, and possibly Myanmar as well, before cutting off power to a specific location.” Interestingly, the “NSC secretary-general said that while the council has the authority to order power cuts if it sees a security threat, the PEA needs to discuss the issue with its contractual partners and make a decision in line with the rule of law.” He “stressed the need to check the legal agreements between the PEA and the original contracting parties for any conditions that could lead to services being cut off.”

So who are the contracting parties? Scammers and casinos? And who supports them in Thailand. Why is Anutin stalling? A cynic could only wonder.