China's satellite images capture how nights in Myawaddy dimmer after power cuts by Thailand

Satellite images of the Myawaddy region in Myanmar captured on February 2, 2025 (Photo/Courtesy of International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals at the Chinese Academy of Sciences)

Satellite images of the Myawaddy region in Myanmar captured on February 20, 2025, after Thailand started to cut "three supplies" (Photo/Courtesy of International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals at the Chinese Academy of Sciences)

Images obtained from a scientific satellite operated by a Chinese research institution reveal that the nighttime landscape of Myawaddy, a region along the Thailand-Myanmar border notorious for its concentration of telecom fraud activities, has grown noticeably dimmer, the Global Times learned from the institution on Tuesday.

This change follows the Thai government's recent move to reduce electricity, fuel supplies, and internet services as part of its intensified campaign against electric fraud.

On Tuesday, the Global Times learned exclusively from the International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) that nighttime satellite images captured by the Sustainable Development Science Satellite 1 (SDGSAT-1) indicate a marked decrease in brightness in areas along the border infamous for electric fraud. This reduction in illumination coincides with the implementation of the "three cuts" strategy by the Thai government, suggesting that the collaborative efforts of China, Thailand, and Myanmar are beginning to yield positive results, according to the center.

Recently, security authorities of China, Myanmar and Thailand have collaborated to launch a concentrated crackdown on telecom and internet fraud crimes in the Myawaddy area.

The SDGSAT-1 is the first of its kind dedicated to serving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and it is also the first Earth science satellite of the CAS.

To meet the requirements of monitoring, evaluating and researching indicators of SDGs, SDGSAT-1 aims to depict traces of anthropic activities using synergetic observations from its three payloads. The sensors work in day and night observing modes, serving the realization of global SDGs and providing support for the study of the SDG indicators related to human-nature interaction, according to the center.

Thailand announcedto cut electricity, fuel supply and internet services to five areas in Myanmar side along the Thai-Myanmar border starting on February 5. The Thai government's investigations found that these five connection points are linked to online scam activities, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

The low-light satellite images of the Myawaddy, captured on February 20, reveal significant changes when compared with those taken on February 4, just prior to the enforcement of the Thailand's "three cuts" policy.

According to an analysis the center shared with the Global Times, electricity supply in Yatai City Park, a scam center, plummeted by approximately 52.24 percent. In Zijintan, the reduction was about 89.73 percent, while Huanya International Park experienced a staggering drop of around 92.20 percent. Additionally, regions hosting other parks, including Huanya, KK, and Dongfeng, saw a decrease of approximately 89.14 percent. These findings indicate a significant decline in local electricity supply.

Thailand Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra stated on Tuesday that Thailand has recently made positive progress in cracking down on border crimes in cooperation with relevant countries and has repatriated those involved. Meanwhile, Thailand will continue to strengthen cooperation and dialogue with China and Myanmar to effectively address the issue of telecom fraud, CCTV News reported.

Paetongtarn said on February 19 that the Thai government had recently cut off electricity and internet connections, as well as halted fuel supplies in areas suspected of hosting scam operations along the Thai-Myanmar border. As a result, electricity consumption in the relevant areas in Myanmar has decreased by 40 percent.

Besides, more than 300 individuals involved in fraud parks have been sent to Thailand, and some 7,000 more are awaiting repatriation, marking significant results in the relevant actions, according to the report.

The Global Times learned from China's Ministry of Public Security (MPS) on Tuesday that four chartered flights repatriating Chinese nationals totaling over 1,000 suspected of being involved in fraud crimes from Myanmar had arrived in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu Province, via Thailand over the past few days.

Thailand has strengthened patrols and control along the Thai-Myanmar border to block the smuggling and transfer channels for fraud suspects. Myanmar has deployed a centralized inspection of the telecom fraud compounds in the Myawaddy area, arresting suspects involved in fraud and rescuing trapped victims. Through joint efforts by all three parties, significant progress has been made in the crackdown, resulting in the arrest of a large number of suspects involved in fraud crimes in the Myawaddy area of Myanmar, the MPS noted.

(Guo Yuandan/GT)