{{Infobox settlement | official_name = Shwe Kokko Myaing | pushpin_label_position = bottom | pushpin_map = Myanmar | pushpin_map_caption = Location in Myanmar | image_skyline = ShweKokko.jpg | image_map = | map_caption = | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = {{Flagicon|Myanmar}} Myanmar | subdivision_type1 = State | subdivision_name1 = {{Flagicon|Kayin}} Karen State | subdivision_type2 = District | subdivision_name2 = Myawaddy District | subdivision_type3 = Township | subdivision_name3 = Myawaddy Township | unit_pref = | area_total_km2 = | population_as_of = | population_blank1_title = Ethnicities | population_blank2 = Buddhism and Christianity | population_blank2_title = Religions | population_density_km2 = auto | coordinates = {{coord|16|49|13.7|N|98|31|51.3|E|region:MM|display=inline,title}} | elevation_m = | timezone = MST | utc_offset = +6.30 | website = | name = | native_name = {{lang|my|ရွှေကုက္ကိုမြိုင်}} | native_name_lang = my | other_name = Shwe Kokko | image_caption = Shwe Kokko in 2022 }} '''Shwe Kokko Myaing''' ({{langx|my|ရွှေကုက္ကိုမြိုင်}}; {{Lit|golden raintree forest}}, Eastern Pwo Karen: ထိက်တုဂ်ဓံင့်), commonly known as '''Shwe Kokko''' ({{langx|my|ရွှေကုက္ကို}}, {{zh|s=水沟谷|t=|p=Shuǐgōugǔ}}, {{zh|j =seoi2 gau1 guk1}}), is a town in Myawaddy Township, Myawaddy District in the Kayin State of south-east Myanmar.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |url=http://kesan.asia/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Gambling-Away-Our-Lands-English.pdf |title=Gambling Away Our Lands: Naypyidaw's "Battlefields to Casinos" Strategy in Shwe Kokko |publisher=Karen Peace Support Network |year=2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407220806/http://kesan.asia/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Gambling-Away-Our-Lands-English.pdf|archive-date=April 7, 2023}}</ref> Shwe Kokko lies on the left (western) bank of the Moei River (Thaungyin River), facing Thailand to the east.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.google.com.mm/maps/place/Swe+Koke+Ko/|title=Shwe Koke Ko|publisher=Google Map|access-date=11 February 2018}}</ref> The town is located {{Convert|20|km||abbr=}} north of Myawaddy.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Han|first=Naw Betty|title=How the Kayin BGF's business interests put Myanmar at risk of COVID-19|url=https://frontiermyanmar.net/en/how-the-kayin-bgfs-business-interests-put-myanmar-at-risk-of-covid-19|access-date=2020-06-19|website=Frontier Myanmar|date=10 April 2020 |language=en|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230609072223/https://www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/how-the-kayin-bgfs-business-interests-put-myanmar-at-risk-of-covid-19/|archive-date=June 9, 2023}}</ref> In recent years, Shwe Kokko has evolved into an organized crime and human trafficking hub, due to the Burmese government's limited reach and oversight in this remote area.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7">{{Cite web |date=2022-09-21 |title=Malaysian dad pleads help for scam victims after son died |url=https://apnews.com/article/health-covid-myanmar-malaysia-thailand-7b4ce998d2925e4b782dcb8b3f10bea1 |access-date=2022-09-24 |website=AP NEWS |language=en|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20221204153328/https://apnews.com/article/health-covid-myanmar-malaysia-thailand-7b4ce998d2925e4b782dcb8b3f10bea1|archive-date=December 4, 2022}}</ref> Chinese-led development projects in Shwe Kokko, including '''Yatai New City''', have been involved in illegal gambling, human trafficking, extortion, and cyber scam operations.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web|date=2022-06-23 |title=Scam City: How the coup brought Shwe Kokko back to life |url=https://www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/scam-city-how-the-coup-brought-shwe-kokko-back-to-life/ |access-date=2023-03-02 |website=Frontier Myanmar |language=en-US|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230922102140/https://www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/scam-city-how-the-coup-brought-shwe-kokko-back-to-life/|archive-date=September 22, 2023}}</ref><ref name="bgfbusiness">{{Cite web |last= |date=2021-05-13 |title=With conflict escalating, Karen BGF gets back to business |url=https://www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/with-conflict-escalating-karen-bgf-gets-back-to-business/ |access-date=2023-03-02 |website=Frontier Myanmar |language=en-US|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20231224164539/https://www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/with-conflict-escalating-karen-bgf-gets-back-to-business/?tztc=1|archive-date= December 24, 2023}}</ref><ref name=":52">{{Cite web |last1=Clapp |first1=Priscilla |last2=Tower |first2=Jason |date=2022-11-09 |title=Myanmar's Criminal Zones: A Growing Threat to Global Security |url=https://www.usip.org/publications/2022/11/myanmars-criminal-zones-growing-threat-global-security |access-date=2023-03-02 |website=United States Institute of Peace |language=en|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20231019060454/https://www.usip.org/publications/2022/11/myanmars-criminal-zones-growing-threat-global-security|archive-date=October 19, 2023}}</ref>'''<ref name=cambodiascams>{{Cite news |date=2022-09-20 |title=Cambodia scams: Lured and trapped into slavery in South East Asia |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-62792875 |access-date=2023-03-02|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20231124120231/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-62792875|archive-date=November 24, 2023}}</ref>'''
== Administration == Shwe Kokko is home to the headquarters of the Kayin State Border Guard Force (BGF), which consists of former Democratic Karen Buddhist Army forces that were formally integrated into the Myanmar Armed Forces in August 2010.'''<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |last1=Tower |first1=Jason |last2=Clapp |first2=Priscilla A. |date=2020-07-27 |title=Myanmar's Casino Cities: The Role of China and Transnational Criminal Networks |url=https://www.usip.org/publications/2020/07/myanmars-casino-cities-role-china-and-transnational-criminal-networks |access-date=2023-03-02 |website=United States Institute of Peace |language=en|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20231127082244/https://www.usip.org/publications/2020/07/myanmars-casino-cities-role-china-and-transnational-criminal-networks|archive-date=November 27, 2023}}</ref><ref name=":12">{{Cite web |last=Nachemson |first=Andrew |date=2020-07-07 |title=The mystery man behind the Shwe Kokko project |url=https://www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/the-mystery-man-behind-the-shwe-kokko-project/ |access-date=2023-03-02 |website=Frontier Myanmar |language=en-US|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20231224164631/https://www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/the-mystery-man-behind-the-shwe-kokko-project/|archive-date=December 24, 2023}}</ref>''' The Kayin State BGF is led by Colonel Saw Chit Thu, and has about 6,000 troops that are organised into 13 battalions.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Han |first=Naw Betty |title=The business of the Kayin State Border Guard Force |url=https://frontiermyanmar.net/en/the-business-of-the-kayin-state-border-guard-force |access-date=2020-06-19 |website=Frontier Myanmar |date=16 December 2019 |language=en|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407220814/https://www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/the-business-of-the-kayin-state-border-guard-force/|archive-date=April 7, 2023}}</ref>
After splitting away from the Tatmadaw, the KNA started acquiring revenue via taxation of gambling and scam businesses in Shwe Kokko.<ref name=backbus> [https://www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/business-is-back-bgf-adapts-under-pressure/ ‘Business is back’: BGF adapts under pressure]. April 8, 2024. Naw Betty Han. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240423094911/https://www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/business-is-back-bgf-adapts-under-pressure/|archive-date=April 23, 2024}}. Frontier Myanmar</ref> Almost 1,000 foreign workers of scam centers were turned over to Chinese authorities.
== Development projects == In 2018 and 2019, the Cambodian government banned online casino gambling, forcing Chinese investors and crime syndicates to exit Sihanoukville, which had previously seen a major casino boom. In 2019, multiple casinos shifted their operations to Shwe Kokko.<ref name=":5" />
Shwe Kokko is home to '''Yatai New City''' ({{Lang-zh|c=|s=亞太新城|p=Yàtài xīnchéng|j=aa3 taai3 san1 sing4}} {{Lit|Asia-Pacific New City}}), as a partnership between Chit Lin Myaing Company and Yatai International Holdings Group (Yatai IHG), which is a regional online gambling operation owned by Chinese fugitive She Zhijiang.<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |last=Aung Zaw |date=2023-02-27 |title=Shwe Kokko - A Secret Chinese City |url=https://www.mizzima.com/article/shwe-kokko-secret-chinese-city |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230521081816/https://mizzima.com/article/shwe-kokko-secret-chinese-city |archive-date=May 21, 2023 |access-date=2023-02-27 |website=Mizzima Myanmar News and Insight |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|last=Han|first=Naw Betty|title=Shwe Kokko: A paradise for Chinese investment|url=https://frontiermyanmar.net/en/shwe-kokko-a-paradise-for-chinese-investment|access-date=2020-06-19|website=Frontier Myanmar|date=5 September 2019 |language=en|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20231224164701/https://www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/shwe-kokko-a-paradise-for-chinese-investment/|archive-date=December 24, 2023}}</ref> Chit Lin Myaing is owned by the Kayin State Border Guard Force, and will receive 30% of profits from this development, with the remainder of the profits going to Yatai.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news|date=2019-11-13|title=Chinese Mega-Project in Myanmar's Kayin State Sparks Resentment And Worry|work=RFA|url=https://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/chinese-mega-project-in-myanmars-kayin-state-11132019165455.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20231021051157/https://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/chinese-mega-project-in-myanmars-kayin-state-11132019165455.html|archive-date=October 21, 2023}}</ref> ''The Nation'' alleged that Wan Kuok-koi, a former leader of the 14K syndicate, was a co-investor in the project.<ref>{{cite web | title=She Zhijiang: From Shwe Kokko Kingpin to Klong Prem Prison | date=7 February 2025 | url=https://www.nationthailand.com/news/general/40046012 }}</ref>
In 2019, Singaporean-owned Building Cities Beyond Blockchain became Yatai's exclusive blockchain partner.<ref name=":9">{{Cite web |title=Myanmar: Casino Cities Run on Blockchain Threaten Nation's Sovereignty |url=https://www.usip.org/publications/2020/07/myanmar-casino-cities-run-blockchain-threaten-nations-sovereignty |access-date=2023-03-02 |website=United States Institute of Peace |language=en|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230927173723/https://www.usip.org/publications/2020/07/myanmar-casino-cities-run-blockchain-threaten-nations-sovereignty|archive-date=September 27, 2023}}</ref> The use of blockchain technology enables entities to circumvent government authorities, obscure financial transactions, and launder money.<ref name=":9"/> Building Cities Beyond Blockchain and Yatai launched Fincy, a financial platform in Shwe Kokko, without the approval of Myanmar's Central Bank or any government ministry.<ref name=":9" />
Yatai portrayed the development as a US$15 billion special economic zone (SEZ), aimed at becoming a playground for Chinese gamblers near the Burmese-Thai border.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Myanmar: Transnational Networks Plan Digital Dodge in Casino Enclaves |url=https://www.usip.org/publications/2020/07/myanmar-transnational-networks-plan-digital-dodge-casino-enclaves |access-date=2023-03-02 |website=United States Institute of Peace |language=en|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230716182740/https://www.usip.org/publications/2020/07/myanmar-transnational-networks-plan-digital-dodge-casino-enclaves|archive-date=July 16, 2023}}</ref><ref name=":3" /> In reality, Shwe Kokko is not an approved SEZ, which are established in accordance with Myanmar's SEZ laws.<ref name=":0" /> In October 2020, China's government officially distanced itself from the project. China's ambassador to Myanmar, Chen Hai, clarified this project was not part of the Belt and Road Initiative.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web|title=Myanmar to probe casinos in China-backed developer's 'rogue city'|url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Belt-and-Road/Myanmar-to-probe-casinos-in-China-backed-developer-s-rogue-city|access-date=2020-12-07|website=Nikkei Asia|language=en-GB|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20231223112549/https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Belt-and-Road/Myanmar-to-probe-casinos-in-China-backed-developer-s-rogue-city|archive-date=December 23, 2023}}</ref>
== Controversies == {{See also|Scam centers in Myanmar}}
=== Yatai project === The Yatai project has been the subject of significant controversy, owing to concerns over the absence of official approval, illegal land confiscations, casino construction, criminal activities, money laundering, and local sentiment.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-09-18|title=New city project by Chinese firm raises hackles in Kayin|url=https://www.mmtimes.com/news/new-city-project-chinese-firm-raises-hackles-kayin.html|access-date=2020-06-19|website=The Myanmar Times|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20220218061235/https://www.mmtimes.com/news/new-city-project-chinese-firm-raises-hackles-kayin.html|archive-date=February 18, 2022}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last1=Tower |first1=Jason |last2=Clapp |first2=Priscilla A. |date=2020-04-20 |title=Chinese Crime Networks Partner with Myanmar Armed Groups |url=https://www.usip.org/publications/2020/04/chinese-crime-networks-partner-myanmar-armed-groups |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230922100816/https://www.usip.org/publications/2020/04/chinese-crime-networks-partner-myanmar-armed-groups |archive-date=September 22, 2023 |access-date=2020-06-19 |website=United States Institute of Peace |language=en}}</ref><ref name="bbc">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c04nx1vnw17o|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250207072000/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c04nx1vnw17o|archive-date=February 7, 2025|work=BBC News|title=Casinos, high-rises and fraud: The BBC visits a bizarre city built on scams|first=Jonathan|last=Head|author-link=Jonathan Head|date=February 6, 2025|access-date=February 7, 2025}}</ref> Yatai began large-scale construction in 2017, even though the Myanmar Investment Commission had only approved a small-scale project covering {{Convert|180000|acre||abbr=}}.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-03-26|title=Shwe Koko: Big Winners - Burma Army and international Crime Syndicates at Expense of Karen People – KNU, Community Groups Want it Stopped|url=http://karennews.org/2020/03/shwe-koko-big-winners-burma-army-and-international-crime-syndicates-at-expense-of-karen-people-knu-community-groups-want-it-stopped/|access-date=2020-06-19|website=Karen News|language=en-US|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410155632/http://karennews.org/2020/03/shwe-koko-big-winners-burma-army-and-international-crime-syndicates-at-expense-of-karen-people-knu-community-groups-want-it-stopped/|archive-date=April 10, 2023}}</ref><ref name=":2" /> MIC had only granted permission for the construction of 59 luxury villas on 22.5 acres of land, but the actual construction has far outpaced the permitted development.<ref name=":0" />
The project utilized thousands of Chinese workers, despite claims that it would generate job opportunities for locals.<ref name=":1" /> In June 2020, the Burmese government established a national tribunal to investigate irregularities surrounding this development project, successfully halting the project.<ref name="contentious">{{Cite web |last=Lwin |first=Nan |date=2020-06-16 |title=Myanmar Govt to Probe Contentious Chinese Development on Thai Border |url=https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/myanmar-govt-probe-contentious-chinese-development-thai-border.html |access-date=2020-06-19 |website=The Irrawaddy |language=en-US|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302013926/https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/myanmar-govt-probe-contentious-chinese-development-thai-border.html|archive-date=March 2, 2023}}</ref><ref name=":53">{{Cite web |last1=Clapp |first1=Priscilla |last2=Tower |first2=Jason |date=2022-11-09 |title=Myanmar's Criminal Zones: A Growing Threat to Global Security |url=https://www.usip.org/publications/2022/11/myanmars-criminal-zones-growing-threat-global-security |access-date=2023-03-02 |website=United States Institute of Peace |language=en|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20231019060454/https://www.usip.org/publications/2022/11/myanmars-criminal-zones-growing-threat-global-security|archive-date=October 19, 2023}}</ref> In 2020, tensions between the Kayin State Border Guard Force and the Myanmar Armed Forces escalated over the development.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Han |first=Naw Betty |date=2020-12-30 |title=Shwe Kokko locked down as locals fear clashes between Tatmadaw, BGF |url=https://www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/shwe-kokko-locked-down-as-locals-fear-clashes-between-tatmadaw-bgf/ |access-date=2023-03-02 |website=Frontier Myanmar |language=en-US|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20231224171537/https://www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/shwe-kokko-locked-down-as-locals-fear-clashes-between-tatmadaw-bgf/?tztc=1|archive-date=December 24, 2023}}</ref>
However, after the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, during which the Burmese military deposed the civilian-led government, the military became pre-occupied with addressing the ensuing Myanmar civil war, enabling the Yatai development to resume.<ref name="bgfbusiness"/><ref name=":6"/><ref name=":53" /><ref name=cambodiascams/> In April 2023, the Kawthoolei Army, a splinter group of the Karen National Union, launched an offensive against the Kayin State BGF in Shwe Kokko, forcing over 10,000 people to flee into Thailand.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2023-05-11 |title=Into the lion's den: The failed attack on Shwe Kokko |url=https://www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/into-the-lions-den-the-failed-attack-on-shwe-kokko/ |access-date=2023-05-28 |website=Frontier Myanmar |language=en-US|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230630002633/https://www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/into-the-lions-den-the-failed-attack-on-shwe-kokko/|archive-date=June 30, 2023}}</ref>
=== Criminal activities === As Cambodia intensified its crackdown on illegal online gambling in 2019, Chinese crime syndicates and casino operators have expanded their presence in Myanmar's peripheral border areas.<ref name=":52" /><ref name=":4" />
As of May 2022, 1,225 Chinese nationals were legally residing in Shwe Kokko, and thousands of illegal Chinese workers migrated to the village for work.<ref name=":6" /> Shwe Kokko is the destination of many Asian human trafficking victims, from countries such as Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, India and Philippines, who have been forced to work in Shwe Kokko in online scam operations run by Chinese crime syndicates, lured by the prospect of romance and well-paying jobs.<ref name=":8" /><ref name=":7" /> In September 2022, over 300 Indian nationals were reported to be held hostage in Shwe Kokko.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-09-22 |title=Hundreds of Indians Reportedly Trafficked to Myanmar by Cybercrime Operations |url=https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/hundreds-of-indians-reportedly-trafficked-to-myanmar-by-cybercrime-operations.html |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20221204172524/https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/hundreds-of-indians-reportedly-trafficked-to-myanmar-by-cybercrime-operations.html |archive-date=December 4, 2022 |access-date=2022-09-24 |website=The Irrawaddy |language=en-US}}</ref>
Since the Karen BGF cut ties with the Tatmadaw and rebranded itself to the Karen National Army, many of these centers clamped down on abusive working conditions under the threat of a potential crackdown from anti-Junta forces.<ref name="backbus" /> However, the scamming workforce and targets expanded to speakers of English and other languages.<ref name="backbus" /> Stricter security measures largely impede blackmailed workers from escaping, with rescued East African victims alluding to slave-like conditions.<ref name="backbus" /> Rescued East African victims interviewed in Addis Ababa,<ref>{{cite web | title=Ethiopia repatriates 130 nationals stranded in Myanmar | url=https://english.news.cn/africa/20250318/eb3c7634270b42869de84d359dc7bdea/c.html }}</ref> explained that underperformers <ref>{{cite web | last1=Myat | first1=Su | title=Beatings, torture and electric shocks: Freed scam compound workers allege horrific abuse | work=The Guardian | date=25 February 2025 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/25/beatings-torture-and-electric-shocks-freed-scam-compound-workers-allege-horrific-abuse }}</ref> were punished.<ref>{{cite web | title=Forced to scam others worldwide, thousands now detained on Myanmar border | date=9 March 2025 | url=https://www.voanews.com/a/forced-to-scam-others-worldwide-thousands-now-detained-on-myanmar-border/8004859.html }}</ref> Tens of thousands of Chinese continued to work in the area, but the workforce became increasingly multinational.<ref name=":10">{{Cite web |last=United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime |date=April 2025 |title=Inflection Point: Global Implications of Scam Centres, Underground Banking and Illicit Online Marketplaces in Southeast Asia |url=https://www.unodc.org/roseap/uploads/documents/Publications/2025/Inflection_Point_2025.pdf |access-date=29 May 2025}}</ref>
In February 2025, following pressure from Chinese officials, Thailand cut cross-border power transmission from Thailand to Myanmar as well as exports of fuel supplies. In response, the armed groups controlling border areas in Myanmar where online crime sites are located staged a series of raids on these sites, and over the following months removed thousands of people and handed them to Thai authorities.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Who powered the expansion of cyber scams in Myawaddy? {{!}} Justice For Myanmar |url=https://www.justiceformyanmar.org/stories/who-powered-the-expansion-of-cyber-scams-in-myawaddy |access-date=2025-05-29 |website=www.justiceformyanmar.org}}</ref> From Thailand they were processed and repatriated to their home countries. According to data published by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, people of over two dozen nationalities were swept up in these raids and deported.<ref name=":10" /> Many alleged they were trafficked and subject to violence in the scam parks.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2025-02-19 |title=Myanmar scam centre survivors recall torture and coercion |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/myanmar-scam-centre-survivors-recall-torture-coercion-2025-02-19/ |access-date=2025-05-29 |work=Reuters |language=en}}</ref>
The expansion of the Yatai New City is an extreme manifestation of the growth of organized crime groups in the region involved in casinos, online gambling and fraud, and other illicit industries. Speaking on this trend, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime noted: "The most visible example is Myanmar, where organized crime groups collaborate extensively with militias and armed groups that operate in the country's lawless border regions. The money from transnational crime directly undermines peace and stability. Open conflict or not, the challenge to the rule of law in each is real and growing.'
=== International sanctions === One of the key figures behind the development of Yatai New City is She Zhijiang, a Chinese-born businessman who later acquired Cambodian nationality.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nachemson |first=Andrew |date=2020-07-07 |title=The mystery man behind the Shwe Kokko project |url=https://www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/the-mystery-man-behind-the-shwe-kokko-project/ |access-date=2025-05-29 |website=Frontier Myanmar |language=en-US}}</ref> She Zhijiang was arrested in Thailand in 2022 on an international arrest warrant and is fighting extradition to China.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-08-16 |title=Thai police arrest suspected Chinese gambling kingpin |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/thai-police-arrest-suspected-chinese-gambling-kingpin-2022-08-15/ |access-date=2025-05-29 |work=Reuters |language=en}}</ref> He is wanted there for over a decade on charges of running illegal gambling operations.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A fugitive Chinese businessman's high-profile bet in Myanmar |url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Caixin/A-fugitive-Chinese-businessman-s-high-profile-bet-in-Myanmar |access-date=2025-05-29 |website=Nikkei Asia |language=en}}</ref> A company owned by the Karen Border Guard Force is a shareholder in the project.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mon |first=Ye |date=2018-08-01 |title=MIC approves Border Guard Force-backed luxury villas project |url=https://www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/mic-approves-border-guard-force-backed-luxury-villas-project/ |access-date=2025-05-29 |website=Frontier Myanmar |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2023, leaders of the border guard force, Saw Chit Thu and Saw Min Min Oo, along with She Zhijiang were sanctioned by the United Kingdom due to their links to the project and its involvement in trafficking, forced criminality and torture.<ref>{{Cite web |last=HM Treasury Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation |date=8 December 2023 |title=Financial Sanctions Notice |url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6572d548049516000d49be78/Notice_Global_Human_Rights_081223.pdf |access-date=29 May 2025}}</ref> In 2024 the European Union sanctioned Saw Chit Thu, Saw Tin Win, Saw Mote Thone and Chit Linn Myaing Group, specifically referencing their involvement in the Yatai project.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Council of the European Union |date=22 October 2024 |title=Council implementing regulation implementing Regulation (EU) No 401/2013 concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Myanmar/Burma |url=https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-11972-2024-INIT/en/pdf |access-date=29 May 2025}}</ref>
==See also==
* Special Economic Zone ** Gelephu Special Administrative Region, in Bhutan on border with India ** Dawei SAR, in coastal Myanmar ** Kyaukphyu SAR, in coastal Myanmar ** Thilawa Special Economic Zone, in coastal Myanmar ** Mong La SAR, in eastcentral Myanmar on border with China
* KK Park, collective name for the fraud factories in Myawaddi city of Myanmar
==Remarks== {{Reflist}}
Category:Populated places in Kayin State Category:Special Economic Zones of Myanmar Category:Scam centers