Exposé: The Karen Leaders Who Signed Away Their People’s Future
Scam Cities on the Moei River
On the Myanmar–Thailand border, the towns of Myawaddy and Shwe Kokko have become infamous. Behind their gates, tens of thousands of trafficked workers are forced to commit cyber fraud on a global scale—romance scams, fake crypto investments, and online cons that have stolen billions.
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimates that by early 2025, more than 7,100 people had been rescued from Myawaddy compounds, while tens of thousands more remain trapped.
But how did these scam cities take root? The answer lies in land contracts signed by the very leaders who claimed to represent and protect the Karen people.
The 2020 Contract: KNU Leaders Sign Off
In February 2020, a contract was signed giving 100 acres of land in Myawaddy to the Chinese company Trans-Asia (Huanya) for what became KK Park.
The Irrawaddy published the contract, and the names are plain:
Padoh Saw Kwe Htoo Win — then a senior KNU leader, now President of the KNU.
Saw Roger Khin — then the Head of the KNU Defense Department.
Both men signed as witnesses on behalf of the KNU Finance Committee (Central).
The contract was explicit: Huanya would pay annual rent and a monthly “security maintenance fee,” with security provided by the KNU.
In other words, KNU’s top leadership guaranteed and monetized the scam hub’s security from day one.
Confirmation of the KNU’s Role
The watchdog Justice For Myanmar (JFM) later confirmed that:
Mu La Ei Ahlin Co., Ltd., listed as the landowner in the 2020 contract, was a KNU-controlled company.
A KNU spokesperson acknowledged the contract’s authenticity.
In 2022, the lease was reissued—not cancelled. This time the landowner was Troth Star Co., Ltd., a company led by Colonel Saw Nay Min Lwin, a serving KNU officer and relative of former KNU president General Saw Mutu Say Poe.
This “handover” kept the project inside the KNU’s orbit while allowing leadership to claim they had “surrendered” involvement.
The Profits and the Silence
The contract signed by Kwe Htoo Win and Roger Khin committed Huanya to annual rent and monthly security payments. While there is no published bank record tracing these funds to the individuals themselves, it is clear that:
KNU structures benefited financially.
The leaders who signed as witnesses enabled and legitimized the project.
The U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) also links Roger Khin directly to partnership with the Chinese TransAsia group, highlighting his role in illicit projects in Karen State.
Despite these links, neither Kwe Htoo Win nor Roger Khin has publicly accounted for their role in the contract—or the revenues generated from it.
The BGF and Saw Chit Thu
By 2025, the Karen Border Guard Force (BGF), led by Saw Chit Thu, was running security and profiting from the scam compounds. The UNODC confirms the BGF and DKBA handled thousands rescued from Myawaddy, with the BGF alone claiming custody of more than 7,100 people.
The U.S. Treasury has since sanctioned Saw Chit Thu for leasing land and profiting from these scam hubs.
The Human Toll
While leaders and militias traded contracts and revenue streams, the scam cities filled with victims:
Young men and women from Asia and Africa, lured by fake job ads.
Survivors recount beatings, electrocution, and torture when they failed to hit fraud quotas.
Countries like India and China have had to send military planes to evacuate their citizens.
The Cover-Up Question
The KNU claims it “surrendered” the project in 2022. But the paper trail tells another story:
From Mu La Ei Ahlin (KNU-owned) to Troth Star (KNU officer-run), the project never left KNU hands.
Kwe Htoo Win and Roger Khin’s signatures remain the foundation that legitimized Huanya/KK Park.
The KNU announced an internal investigation in 2023 but has not released findings.
This looks less like a clean break than a cover-up, designed to protect reputations while keeping financial interests intact.
Conclusion: A Betrayal of the Karen People
The scam compounds of Myawaddy and Shwe Kokko are global crime scenes. They exist because Karen leaders—Saw Kwe Htoo Win, Roger Khin, and Saw Chit Thu—signed contracts, offered protection, and profited from them.
For the trafficked victims, the betrayal is twofold: abused by foreign investors, and sold out by the very leaders who claimed to fight for Karen freedom.
Until the truth is fully exposed, and accountability reaches the highest levels of the KNU and BGF, the Karen people will continue to live under the shadow of leaders who turned their homeland into a scam empire.
References
UNODC. (2025). Inflection Point: Global Implications of Scam Centres, Underground Banking and Illicit Online Marketplaces in Southeast Asia.
The Irrawaddy. (2024). Leaked Contract Shows KNU Leaders Signed Huanya/KK Park Lease.
Justice For Myanmar. (2024). KNU Confirms Contract; Troth Star Took Over Lease in 2022.
U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP). (2024). Karen State’s Illicit Economies and Armed Group Involvement.
U.S. Department of the Treasury. (2024). Sanctions on Saw Chit Thu and Karen BGF.
