Local Militia Officer Behind Controversial Chinese Casino Hub on Thai-Myanmar Border Quits
BGF members on the Asia Highway in Myawaddy Township, Karen State / Kyaw Kha / The Irrawaddy
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By Htun Htun 11 January 2021
YANGON Major Saw Maw Tho, also known as Saw Mote Thone, who was the second-highest-ranking officer in the Karen State Border Guard Force (BGF), which is implementing a new city project with alleged ties to Chinese mafia on the Myanmar-Thai border, resigned on Saturday, according to sources with Myanmar’s military and the BGF.
His departure comes amid tensions between the Myanmar military (or Tatmadaw) and the BGF, a military-aligned armed group formerly known as the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), over the controversial China-backed project in the border town of Myawaddy in Karen State. Maj. Saw Maw Tho was reportedly among a group of BGF leaders pressured by the Tatmadaw to resign, including Colonel Saw Chit Thu and Major Saw Tin Win.