Bangkok. The United States has imposed sanctions on a powerful ethnic militia in southeastern Myanmar, accusing it of profiting from cyber scam operations and human trafficking. The move targets the Karen National Army (KNA), its leader Col. Saw Chit Thu, and his two sons, Saw Htoo Eh Moo and Saw Chit Chit, for allegedly facilitating criminal networks that have ensnared victims across Southeast Asia.

In a statement Monday, the US Treasury Department said the KNA was "facilitating cyber scams that harm US citizens, human trafficking, and cross-border smuggling." It added that scam operations such as those run by the KNA generate billions in illicit revenue for organized crime groups, often by exploiting workers lured under false pretenses.

"Cyber scam operations, such as those run by the KNA, generate billions in revenue for criminal kingpins and their associates, while depriving victims of their hard-earned savings and sense of security," said Deputy Treasury Secretary Michael Faulkender. "Treasury is committed to using all available tools to disrupt these networks and hold accountable those who seek to profit from these criminal schemes."

The sanctions freeze any US-based assets linked to the individuals and entities named and bar American citizens from doing business with them.

The KNA, which functions as the official Border Guard Force for the Karen ethnic minority under the Myanmar military government, rejected the accusations. "They are doing it because they can," said Lt. Col. Naing Maung Zaw, a spokesperson for the group. He insisted the militia's activities focus on regional development and accused the US of bullying a weaker nation.

Shwe Kokko and nearby areas in Myawaddy, Kayin (Karen) State, regions under partial control of the KNA, have long been known as hubs for transnational criminal activity. Criminal syndicates in the area have reportedly forced hundreds of thousands of people, including foreigners, into labor at online scam centers that operate romance frauds, fake investment pitches, and illegal gambling operations. While critics say the KNA has provided protection to these operations, the group claims it merely leased land to companies operating the facilities.

Naing Maung Zaw acknowledged that some of the scam centers operated in areas controlled by the KNA, but said similar centers exist throughout Myawaddy. He added that the militia has worked with Myanmar’s military authorities to repatriate thousands of foreign nationals forced into scam labor. According to him, 7,454 of 8,575 foreign workers identified in a February crackdown have been sent home via Thailand, with efforts ongoing to identify and repatriate the rest.

He estimated over 10,000 individuals remain unaccounted for in KNA-controlled areas.

The European Union and the United Kingdom had previously sanctioned Col. Saw Chit Thu for his alleged role in human trafficking and profiting from scam compounds. The U.S. has also sanctioned Myanmar’s military leaders, their suppliers, and state-owned financial institutions following the 2021 coup that ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Kayin State, home to the Karen ethnic group, has been a flashpoint of armed conflict since the coup.