US blacklists Myanmar warlord and ethnic army linked to scam centers

 

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  • Opens in new windowe Karen National Army, or KNA, formerly known as the Karen Border Guard, was designated as a “significant transnational criminal organization” that is barred from holding property in the United States and conducting transactions with U.S. persons.

The two other individuals affected by the action are Saw Htoo Eh Moo and Saw Chit Chit, who are sons of Saw Chit Thu.

The Treasury Department said in a statement said Americans suffered financial losses from sophisticated cyber scams emanating from Myanmar and other Southeast Asian countries, amounting to over $2 billion in 2022 and $3.5 billion in 2023.

“Treasury is committed to using all available tools to disrupt these networks and hold accountable those who seek to profit from these criminal schemes,” Treasury Deputy Secretary Michael Faulkender was quoted as saying.

KNA is headquartered in Shwe Kokko, in Myawaddy township, which lies just south of the main crossing point between eastern Myanmar and Thailand. The militia was formed by fighters who broke away from the anti-military Karen National Union insurgent group in the 1990s. It became one of several military-backed Border Guard Forces in 2009.