At Mae Sot International Airport, all passengers must now undergo a strict immigration check and police screening before they can board designated flights. The new stringent measures aim to prevent scammers from using this western border hub as a transit route across the border.
It has been nearly two months since the Paetongtarn government launched a crackdown on scam call centres by cutting essential services such as electricity, telecommunications, and fuel. The action also made Mae Sot headline news.
The question is what the aftermath of the crackdown will be. Which steps must the Thai government take to balance protecting national security and economic benefit?
According to the latest research headed by the Asian Research Center for Migration at Chulalongkorn University, national security remains a major concern in border towns along the Thai and Myanmar border. The political situation in Myanmar continues to push displaced persons and migrant workers into Thailand.
After the crackdown in February, informal trade surprisingly surged to 65% of total border trade, while official trade through checkpoints dramatically dropped to 35%, affecting government revenue and border control.
Despite multiple agencies involved in Thai-Myanmar border management, these agencies, especially customs and labour, have rarely worked on the same page or shared information.
The government seriously needs to ensure that these government agencies work together. More importantly, it needs to create a centralised database where government bodies or any organisation can access data on Mae Sot and border situations.
Of course, the government's crackdown has weakened scam operations. Yet, comments from villagers interviewed by researchers at the Asian Research Center for Migration show villagers expect to see sound "follow-up" action plans that balance national security protection and economic development, instead of just a crackdown on scammers.
Local people want the government to develop the border town to its fullest potential. People want Tak province and other border areas to be peaceful places with economic potential.
After the operation against the scam centres, the latest assessment shows that some scam call centres have moved further inside Myanmar, while others have relocated to new areas along the border. Given this situation, several districts in bordering provinces may have to strengthen their screening processes further.
These border districts are Tha Song Yang, Phob Phra, Mae Sot, Mae Ramart, and Umphang in Tak province. Local officials and immigration border points are planning to ban foreigners (except Myanmar passport holders) from crossing the border without proper documents from their embassies. These stringent measures aim to tackle and discourage foreigners who are either scammers or those being duped into working at scam operations in Myanmar.
On Feb 28, the government developed a new mechanism called the "Steering Committee to Prevent and Resolve Security Threats Affecting Border Areas with Neighboring Countries". The steering committee is chaired by the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Gen Songwit Noonpakdee. Members are representatives from 25 related government agencies and organisations.
The steering committee has four main tasks: to analyse and assess security threats; to implement national security policies efficiently in line with the latest National Security Strategy 2023-2027; to supervise and coordinate relevant agencies to align with national security objectives; and to facilitate inter-agency and international cooperation to enhance border security.
But border movement controls are not enough.
The government must continue intercepting shipments and sales of solar panels and satellite internet devices because scam operators have relied on private satellite services such as Starlink.
Along the porous Myanmar-Thai border, the new border committee is focusing on two hotspots: the northern border opposite Chiang Rai province and the western border in Tak and Kanchanaburi provinces. Lately, due to economic difficulties inside Myanmar, armed ethnic groups and scammers have openly recruited local people to help their relaunched scam centres.
Furthermore, local residents have urged the government to strengthen local entrepreneurs for further economic growth, especially in digital and e-commerce markets.
The new border committee under Gen Songwit must work closely with another border committee under the Foreign Ministry. Due to the urgency of Myanmar's crisis, the former is focusing on security and transnational crimes, while the latter committee is engaging in humanitarian work and promoting cross-border exchanges.
The recent earthquake, with its epicentre inside Myanmar, will have far-reaching ramifications. The quake severely damaged infrastructure. Needless to say, it will have a massive impact on Myanmar's economy and border trade with Thailand. A new influx of economic migrants from Myanmar into Thailand is also expected in the next few months.
That said, the Paetongtarn government needs to set priorities for what to do with the border management. Usually, our policy and priority have been economic development. With the latest change in Myanmar, Thailand must leverage the new opportunity that would accompany international efforts, as appealed by Nay Pyi Taw for humanitarian aid. It is time to demonstrate Thai leadership during a regional crisis.