The Myanmar warlord who is not with junta or rebels, yet calls shots

As resistance fighters and junta forces clash in Myanmar’s vital border town of Myawaddy, one man is dictating the flow of trade worth $1 billion – warlord Saw Chit Thu.

The warlord with around 8,000 armed militia is siding neither with the junta nor the rebels. Under Saw Chit Thu’s leadership, the Karen National Army (KNA) has established a longstanding presence in the area bordering Thailand.

The region has emerged as a crucial battleground amid escalating resistance against the junta.

But who is the warlord? How did he rise to power?

Let’s take a closer look:

Saw Chit Thu’s militia emerged around 2010 from a faction of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), the armed wing of the Karen National Union. It allied with Myanmar’s military to confront opponents of the junta in the southeastern highlands, predominantly inhabited by the Karen ethnic group.

By 2017, the warlord became involved in the construction of Shwe Kokko, a ‘Special Economic Zone’ along the Thai-Myanmar border. The project which rapidly grew became a centre for crime and gambling backed by Chinese-origin gangs.

Gambling is illegal in mainland China and online gaming operators, mostly targeting Chinese gamblers, have flourished in parts of Southeast Asia, including Myanmar, in recent years.

Shwe Kokko expanded rapidly, satellite images show, transforming within decades from a largely barren tract of riverside land into a sprawling settlement of low-rise and multi-storied buildings. It earned the KNA around $190 million a year, analysts were quoted as saying in the Reuters report.

“The dozens of scam centres established in Karen State by Chinese-led crime networks have grown visibly along the Thai border since the compounds on the Chinese frontier shut down,” the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) think-tank reported in April.

“…Chit Thu has remained focused on reinforcing his crime empire and ensuring that it retains access to key support services, such as security, communications connectivity and electricity.”

Britain imposed sanctions on the warlord in 2023, for serious violations of human rights, accusing him of involvement in “trafficking of individuals”. Taken to Shwe Kokko, they were forced to work as scammers and subject to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment, the sanctions notice issued in December said.

Despite his influence in the region, Saw Chit Thu’s connection to Myanmar’s military rulers was apparent, as demonstrated by his receipt of an honorary title for “outstanding performance” from junta chief General Min Aung Hlaing in November 2022.

The recognition bolstered his standing and influence within the political landscape.

So, what changed?

Early in April 2023, Myawaddy became the frontline as resistance fighters led by the KNU, one of Myanmar’s oldest ethnic armies, pushed into the area and dislodged hundreds of junta troops from their bases.

But tables turned in January when the KNA, once entirely loyal to the junta, stood aside after Saw Chit Thu declared that the militia (previously known as the Border Guard Force) would stop accepting salaries and rations from the military.

“We do not want to fight among our Karen people,” he had told the media.

KNA’s status as being neither entirely loyal to the junta nor pledging alliance with the rebels has now thrust it into the spotlight.

Fighting had flared as recently as Saturday in Myawaddy, forcing 3,000 civilians to flee in a single day as rebels fought to flush out stranded Myanmar government troops holed up at a border bridge crossing.

The military, which retains significant firepower, mounted a counteroffensive for the town, forcing a “temporary retreat” from Myawaddy by KNU resistance forces along the Thai border, an official announced on Wednesday.

Thailand said the fighting had eased and it hoped to re-open its border crossing as trade had been hit. It said most civilians had returned and 650 remained.

“KNLA troops will…destroy the junta troops and their backup troops who marched to Myawaddy,” said spokesperson Saw Taw Nee who did not clarify what the army’s next move would be.

It was the support of Saw Chit Thu’s KNA militia that enabled the return of some junta troops to Myawaddy, Saw Taw Nee added.

With inputs from Reuters