The government is moving in the right direction in terms of tackling online scam gangs that operate near the country's borders.
The cabinet yesterday approved a request by Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai to transfer "high-ranking officials" to inactive posts pending a probe.
A few hours later, the Royal Thai Police (RTP) transferred Pol Maj Gen Ekkarat Intasueb, a commander with the Office of the Inspector General Branch 5, to an inactive post after he was accused of being linked to an illegal business in Myawaddy town in Myanmar.
This high-ranking policeman once served as chief of the Mae Sot police force in Tak province, which sits opposite Myawaddy.
In addition, the government has banned the export of solar panels to Myanmar so that the scam gangs there cannot use them to produce electricity. This move came after regular electricity supplies to the town were suspected by authorities here.
Now, it remains to be seen if the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) will issue an arrest warrant against Col Saw Chit Thu. This warlord controls armed ethnic groups and areas along the border, including Myawaddy, where many call centre scams are based.
Col Chit Thu has been sanctioned by the British and other Western governments for his involvement in human trafficking in Myawaddy, where he reportedly owns casino businesses.
It can only be hoped that local authorities or Interpol can capture this elusive warlord, who is believed to have a list of Thai officials to whom he has paid kickbacks.
While the latest moves are to be applauded, they are far from enough to stem the growing online fraud in the Mekong sub-region.
These gangs are now believed to be rapidly relocating to safer and more convenient areas along the Thai-Myanmar border, such as Payathonzu township, which sits opposite the Three Pagodas Pass in Kanchanaburi province. Others have moved to Poipet in Cambodia.
Countries in the Mekong region must work closer to stop these groups from expanding before it is too late.
It is high time the administration of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra restructured its border controls, particularly in areas close to the casino hubs in Myanmar and Cambodia.
Trustworthy officials and more digital innovation must be deployed at vulnerable border areas where many Thais and foreigners are being duped into working for scam operations.
The government also needs to reassess its visa-free policy and fix some loopholes to create a better monitoring system.
Sustainable tourism requires policies that provide convenience and safety for all travellers and society, and the current visa rules are at odds with this.
Without reliable guardrails at borders, scammers will gleefully exploit our country's lax visa policy to dupe foreigners.
Cutting their internet signal may also fall short as they can resort to using private satellites. The government must be vigilant in arresting shipments of the gadgets required to support these despite attempts to smuggle them over the border.
Collaboration on a global level is required to persuade satellite operators to help tackle these scammers.
Making this a global issue is the real answer, as these online scammers are often part of much larger, sinister syndicates. We must not let the Mekong region become a modern slavery hub.
