After months of kicking the can down the road, the Thai government finally cut off electricity, internet signal and oil supplies to five border towns in Myanmar where scam gangs are based.
The termination of such essential supplies reportedly used by these scammers is welcome news, if not long overdue.
But more work needs to be done to root out these scam gangs and traffickers once and for all.
Right now, these underground operators are lying low and making adjustments. Some are reportedly moving their operations to other casinos or scam operations in other border towns, such as the King Roman Casino in a special economic zone in Laos and Poi Pet in Cambodia.
Despite the power and supply cut, some casinos and scam centres in Myanmar opposite Kanchanaburi can still access electricity from the Thai province's coal plant. Other scam gangs in Thachilek, next to Chiang Rai province, have switched to purchasing electricity from Laos. For replacement internet signals, many scammers have explored alternative options such as Elon Musk's Starlink satellites.
Of course, the most renowned "scam city" of Myawaddy has been the hardest hit by the recent supply cut. But it would come as little surprise if some of these operators get back in business after they manage to find alternative power sources or when Thai authorities lower their guard as media attention fizzles out.
Myawaddy is the perfect location for these underground businesses. It is now off-limits to the Myanmar government and is controlled by armed ethnic groups that have joined hands with scam gangs and traffickers to make some easy money. Its close proximity to Mae Sot district in Tak makes it ideal for human traffickers to dupe their victims from foreign countries to travel to Thailand and cross the border.
The big question is: What is the Thai government going to do to bolster its border controls?
The lengthy and porous border has long been used by criminals to bring in drugs and smuggle human victims from Myanmar to Thai soil.
The problem is not just the western border. The eastern border with Cambodia has been a convenient route for traffickers, criminals on the run, or even Thai politicians wanted by the law. They often move freely along these natural passes. Needless to say, such illegal activities would not be possible without the aid of local officials.
The Chinese government is also tackling these scam gangs in Myanmar and has been forwarding lists of their owners and Thai accomplices to the Thai government since last year without any positive response.
Rangsiman Rome, a list MP of the People's Party, has also sent the names of high-ranking Thai policemen who are suspected of being involved in the casinos in Myawaddy to the Thai government.
As such, it cannot remain idle. The agencies that the accused people work for must launch serious probes to have those bad apples removed and penalised.
There are growing calls for the government to revise its visa-free policy. Traffickers can easily lure their victims from foreign nations to their underground dens. It is about time the government weighed the benefits and challenges of this visa policy and made the appropriate changes.
Cutting the power and internet supply is a good start. But without cleaning our own house, the scam gangs and traffickers will find a way to use Thailand as a gateway for their sinister ends.