Cross-border infrastructures enabling scamming operations along the Thai–Myanmar border

VENUE

The dialogues in the series will be held in hybrid mode, i.e. in-person on the ANU Campus, and virtually on zoom.

IN-PERSON: Institutes Boardroom, HC Coombs Extension Building, 9 Fellows Road, ANU, Acton, ACT, 2601.

ONLINE: Zoom. Please select the relevant ticket, in-person or online, according to your preferred attendance mode.

For more information on the MRC 2025 Dialogue Series please see the MRC website or contact the Chair:

• Zaw Yadanar Hein, zaw.hein@anu.edu.au

Cross-border infrastructures enabling scamming operations along the Thai–Myanmar border

The rapid expansion of cyber-scamming operations along the Thai–Myanmar border, particularly in Myawaddy and Shwe Kokko, underscores the role of conflict-affected borderlands in facilitating illicit economies. Rooted in decades of ceasefire capitalism and exacerbated by Myanmar’s post-coup instability, these scam hubs operate within a complex governance framework involving state, non-state, civilian and armed actors. This study examines the infrastructure that has enabled these operations to proliferate, focusing on three key dimensions: the establishment of trade border zones and channels that provide a foundation for informal and illicit activities, the labour and goods market dynamics that sustain the scam industry, and the financial and legal mechanisms that enable large-scale money laundering and law evasion. 
 
By mapping the physical, political, and digital networks that support these activities, this research highlights how border zones can function as enabling environments for organised crime. Extensive field research, interviews, open-source intelligence, and expert analysis are synthesised with the aim of providing a comprehensive understanding of how cyber-scamming operations are structured, financed, and maintained. What follows is an exploration of how local communities and transnational actors contribute to, benefit from but are also impacted and limited by these operations. The findings offer crucial insights for policymakers seeking to disrupt these networks, regulate border economies, and address the socio-economic vulnerabilities that drive participation in illicit industries.

Speaker

Laure Siegel has been working since 2014 in South and Southeast Asia as an independent journalist, researcher and media trainer. She graduated from the Strasbourg University of Journalism at the French-German border. She is a member of Alter-Sea (Observatory for Political Alternatives in Southeast Asia) as well as the ASEAN-China-Norms network led by CNRS (French National Center for Scientific Research). She specialises in Thailand and Myanmar political and social landscapes and regularly produces research reports, exhibitions and documentaries on those issues. She founded a storytelling academy for Burmese youth in the aftermath of the 2021 coup.

Chair

Zaw Yadanar Hein, zaw.hein@anu.edu.au

The ANU Myanmar Research Centre Dialogue Series is a conversation concerning current research on Myanmar aimed at providing scholars with an opportunity to present their work, try out an idea, advance an argument and critically engage with other researchers. International and Myanmar researchers from any discipline are invited to contribute. The Dialogue Series is particularly seeking to provide a space for early career researchers wishing to receive constructive feedback. Each dialogue is one hour long, including a 30-minute presentation followed by a 30-minute Q&A. As a hybrid series, the Dialogues are presented in both virtual and in-person format, hosted by the ANU Myanmar Research Centre.

Image by May Co Naing