Recently, I came into contact with two Hong Kong people who had escaped from Myanmar. They were both imprisoned in the mountainous area of Myawaddy in southeastern Myanmar, in the "Jiaoke Garden District," which is said to be similar to the "KK Garden District." The Fujian boss "Wuge" has a mysterious background and even harshly stated that he will no longer release people in the future.
Each time a ransom is paid to rescue someone, it involves different military factions and Chinese business forces behind the scenes.
For example, the owner of "Asia Pacific New City," She Zhijiang, who was wanted by Interpol and arrested in Thailand, claimed to be a Chinese spy. The local military faction, the central secretary of the Karen Border Guard, Saw Chit Thu, even held a high-profile blessing ceremony for him; the "Hengsheng" and "Dongmei" garden districts include Ji Xiaobo (the boyfriend of Wu Peici) and Yin Guoju (Beng Ya Ju).
On January 30, 2024, at the Naypyidaw International Airport in Myanmar, the Myanmar police legally transferred Bai Suocheng, a suspect in telecom fraud in northern Myanmar, to the Chinese public security.
After the pandemic, fraud camps in northern Myanmar, bordering Yunnan Province in China, in the Shan State and Kokang region, rose. Subsequently, the Chinese government took high-profile actions, including arresting and extraditing the leaders of the "Four Major Families" to China for trial.
The Chinese Ministry of Public Security reported on May 27, 2024, that since July 2023, the special operation against crimes involving Chinese nationals in northern Myanmar has achieved significant results, with 49,000 suspects of telecom fraud transferred to China. The Ministry of Public Security stated that the crime groups of the "Four Major Families" in Kokang, including Bai Suocheng, Bai Yingcang, Ming Zhenzhen, Wei Huai Ren, Liu Zhengxiang, Liu Zhengmao, and other major suspects were all captured, and the "Four Major Families" were devastatingly hit.
Distribution of scam parks in Myawaddy, Myanmar.
However, in areas not bordering China, China's crackdown is out of reach, and the scam camps have gradually moved to Myawaddy in the southeastern Karen State. In 2022, many people from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Malaysia were deceived there.
Myawaddy, also translated as "Miao Wadi," is separated from the Thai border city of Mae Sot by only a narrow Moei River. The local electricity and network signals are provided by Thailand. The area has always been controlled by local warlords, who had reached a ceasefire agreement with the government forces. After the military coup in Myanmar in 2021, the situation became more complicated, with continuous factional splits, and local forces also clashed with government forces.
On April 20, 2024, about 1,300 people from eastern Karen State's Myawaddy crossed the river to flee to Mae Sot, Thailand.
In April 2024, the Karen Border Guard took down the last outpost controlled by the Myanmar government forces in Myawaddy, after which the government forces completely withdrew. At that time, 1,300 Myanmar people fled the war and crossed the Moei River to Mae Sot, Thailand.
In August 2023, Saw Chit Thu, the central secretary of the Karen Border Guard, held a blessing ceremony in Thailand for the arrested Chinese businessman She Zhijiang. She Zhijiang operates the "Asia Pacific New City" park in Myawaddy's Shwekokko Valley.
Shwekokko Valley boss claims to be a Chinese spy after being arrested in Thailand
According to journalist interviews, combined with data from the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) and reports from the independent Myanmar media Irrawaddy, the "Shwekokko Economic Special Zone" in the north is directly governed by General Saw Chit Thu, the central secretary of the Karen Border Guard. The area includes the "Apollo" and "Yulong Bay" parks, as well as the "Asia Pacific New City" park operated by She Zhijiang, who was wanted by Interpol.
She Zhijiang was arrested in Thailand in 2022, and at that time, his Hong Kong-registered "Asia Pacific Holdings" had changed names to "TANG Kriang Kai" and "She Lun Kai," and he owned multiple passports.
In May 2024, he released a video claiming he was wronged, and he also gave an interview to Al Jazeera, where he claimed that documents showed that Alice Guo, the mayor of Bamban in the Philippines, who operates a human trafficking and scam park, has Chinese identity registration information.
When Alice Guo ran for mayor, she claimed to have been born in the Philippines, but Al Jazeera reporters, based on information provided by She Zhijiang, interviewed villagers and neighbors in her registered rural household in Fujian, who recognized Alice Guo's appearance and could point out her mother's name as Lin Wen Yi.
She Zhijiang claimed that Alice Guo asked him for political donations, and both he and the local warlords denied involvement in scams and human trafficking. Saw Chit Thu also attended the blessing ceremony, praying for She Zhijiang's safe return; meanwhile, Asia Pacific City continued to expand, including casinos and nightclubs.
General Saw Chit Thu of the Karen Border Guard (left), with "Barrel General" Saw Moe Tone.
Central Myawaddy County under the control of "Barrel General"
In central Myawaddy County, the "Jinxin," "Hengsheng," and "PPM" parks are managed by Saw Moe Tone, a confidant of Saw Chit Thu, known as the "Barrel General."
The owner of "Jinxin Park" is Xiong Shijia from Anxi, Fujian (right), pictured in a meeting with Saw Chit Thu, the central secretary of the Karen Border Guard.
The owner of "Jinxin Park" is Xiong Shijia from Anxi, Fujian. His "Jinxin Holdings" was later renamed "Jiali Group," claiming to operate gambling businesses in Myanmar, the Philippines, and the Golden Triangle. He also has a close relationship with Saw Chit Thu, with whom he has held meetings, and Xiong Shijia has even been photographed in military attire.
Myanmar's "Hengsheng Park" is related to the Hengsheng Group, which operates casinos in Macau, with the same logo.
Hengsheng, with the same name and logo as the Macau casino, is related to Ji Xiaobo, the boyfriend of Wu Peici
"Hengsheng" is related to the Hengsheng Group, which operates casinos in Macau, and they share the same logo. In 2013, a shareholder of Macau's Hengsheng was Cui Limei, the maternal aunt of Ji Xiaobo's mother; in 2017, the Hong Kong High Court cited the defendant stating that Ji Xiaobo was the boss of Hengsheng.
The group was involved in illegal gambling cases in mainland China, where the Beijing court identified Ji Xiaobo as the "head of evil forces." He is still at large, and Cui Limei was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison. Ji Xiaobo and Taiwanese actress Wu Peici have four children together, but they are not married.
Ji Xiaobo, Wu Peici's boyfriend, was accused by mainland China of being the "head of evil forces," and his maternal aunt was sentenced to eight and a half years.
Washing Rice China Case | Mainland indictment lists several Macau VIP rooms involved in illegal amounts totaling 15 billion yuan Ji Xiaobo accused by mainland China of being the head of evil forces, aunt and 15 others sentenced, debt collection posters once appeared on Hong Kong streets
Major Saw Tin Win, the deputy commander of the Karen Border Guard, mainly controls the southern part of Myawaddy, "Lay Kay Kaw New Town."
KK Garden District named after the southern Lay Kay Kaw Town
In the southern "Lay Kay Kaw New Town," there are "KK Garden District," "Huan Asia," and "Thai Chang" parks, controlled by Major Saw Tin Win, the deputy commander of the Karen Border Guard.
"KK Garden District" is just one of the local "imprisonment camps," and outsiders thought it referred to all local places. The name "KK" originates from the local place name "Lay Kay Kaw."
Yin Guoju's Dongmei Group builds a park in the south accused by the US of human trafficking
Further south, the Macau gangster known as "Beng Ya Ju," Yin Guoju's "Dongmei Group," invested in the "Saixi Port Industrial Park." The US also accused him of involvement in human trafficking, sanctioning him and his Hong Kong-registered "Dongmei Investment Group."
After being released from prison in 2012, Yin Guoju established the "World Hongmen Historical Culture Association," engaging in cryptocurrency and offline casino businesses. In the 2020s, he represented the Dongmei Group at the foundation-laying ceremony of the Saixi Port Industrial Park in Myanmar. However, he has repeatedly denied any connection with human trafficking.
Direct hit on US sanctions "Beng Ya Ju" Yin Guoju's flagship investment reveals wife's "Hongmen" company in Hong Kong "Beng Ya Ju" Yin Guoju once served as chairman of a listed company in Malaysia, sponsoring a pro-police movie "The Era."
Jiaoke Garden District located at the mountain base, Fujian boss "Wuge" with a mysterious background
Andy was trafficked and imprisoned near "Kayukhat Mountain" in the southern mountains, operated by a Fujianese known as "Wuge," which was formerly a Karen Buddhist army camp.
According to Andy's description, the boss and several team leaders were all fellow townspeople, with about 200 people in the company, 75% of whom were Taiwanese, the remaining 20% possibly Malaysians, including seven Hong Kong people like Andy. "All of us were deceived here, some like me were tricked by part-time gold smuggling jobs, but others said they were told to come to Thailand to start a company and take out loans."
Ah Long is a volunteer who helps negotiate rescues, and the mainland Chinese movie "All In" also specially thanked him. He estimated that nearly 8,000 people were imprisoned in the scam camps near Jiaoke Mountain. He said "Wuge" has a mysterious background, with little information available about him and no clear photos. He is known to be from Fujian and had previously worked in the "Thai Chang Garden District" before setting up his own "Shengtian Group."
Myanmar's Jiaoke Garden District, located at the foot of Jiaoke Mountain, was formerly a Karen Buddhist army camp.
Accused of being 'the darkest,' ransom payments still refused to release people
When Andy's family paid the ransom and left the garden district, he heard "Wuge" on the phone saying, "You always try to save like this, I always have to release, this time is really the last one." Later, he learned that his former colleague was beaten with an electric baton for not reporting someone contacting his family, and discussing "compensation" or paying ransom to leave was also forbidden in the garden district.
Ah Long also said that there were six or seven people in the Jiaoke Garden District seeking help, but despite several negotiations, no one could be rescued. "Now they don't release anyone, not even one can come out, it has already reached such a dark extent, many from the Myanmar military also cannot rescue them."
Electricity supply only symbolically briefly cut off
Several warlords in Myawaddy, Myanmar, as well as the Chinese bosses behind them, have been sanctioned by the US and the EU. The local scam parks are mainly powered by Thailand, which has cut off the supply several times under international pressure, only to restore it later.
On November 25, 2024, 39 foreigners fled from Myawaddy to Thailand, including people from Sri Lanka, Nepal, Malaysia, and Russia. The Thai police stated that they were deceived by advertisements for high-paying jobs.
