Myanmar’s Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) has reportedly cut electricity supply to the controversial casino town of Shwe Kokko after the country’s military regime put an end to PEA’s contract as of Monday 5 June.
According to a report by local media outlet The Star, the decision to end PEA’s contract follows pressure from China to step up efforts to combat cross-border crime, online fraud and gambling. Shwe Kokko, which sits alongside the Myanmar-Thailand border, is known to be financed by Chinese tycoons.
The Star is also reporting that the Karen Border Guard Force (BGF) – which controls Shwe Kokko – has threatened to close the nearby Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridges if supply is not restored. While the BGF has prepared a back-up electricity supply to replace lost power, residents are expected to be affected by the electricity suspension within “two or three days”, it added.
Shwe Kokko is located about 20km north of the town of Myawaddy in the Kayin State of south-east Myanmar and is separated from Thailand by the Moei River.