Inside the "Shwe Padauk Myaing" scam hub: torture and human trafficking uncovered in Myawaddy

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Major General Saw Chit-thu (left), Major General Saw Tin Win (middle) and Colonel Saw Htoo Eh-mu (right) are seen at the ceremony to officially change the name of the BGF to the KNA on January 1. A Chinese national who escaped from the Yulong Bay (aka Shwe Pi Tauk Myaing) online money laundering operation near Thae Pon village in Myawaddy township, owned by Colonel Saw Htoo Eh-mu, the son of Karen National Army (KNA) leader Major General Saw Chit-thu. Many foreigners are being tortured and forced to work in the Yulong Bay (aka Shwe Pi Tauk Myaing) online money laundering operation near Thae Pon village in Myawaddy township, according to a Chinese national who escaped from the operation. Mizzima Special Correspondent Han Htoo Zaw (Mizzima)  A Chinese survivor who recently escaped the Yulong Bay (also known as Shwe Padauk Myaing) online scam compound near Thae Pone village, Myawaddy Township, has exposed a brutal system of daily torture, extortion, and forced labour involving over ...
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ICJ hearings highlight role of religious propaganda in Rohingya genocide

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Mizzima

A Gambian lawyer has told the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that two Buddhist monks, U Wirathu and Sitagu Sayadaw U Nyanissara, both closely linked to military leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, played a role in supporting the Rohingya genocide, according to U Nay San Lwin, who attended the hearing and spoke to Mizzima.

“Especially in terms of propaganda, there are two monks, U Wirathu and Sitagu Sayadaw. How did they promote and encourage killings? For instance, Sitagu Sayadaw recounted a story in which a king killed 500,000 non-Buddhists, claiming they were not human because they were not Buddhists. How did the Patriotic Association of Myanmar (known as Ma Ba Tha) also spread propaganda and incite violence?” said U Nay San Lwin, co-chairman of the Arakan Rohingya National Council (ARNC).

Sitagu Sayadaw stated in a speech at the Interfaith Marriages Law Victory Ceremony at Thuwunna Stadium in Yangon on 4 October 2015, that killing non-Buddhists is not a sin. In addition, Sayadaw U Wirathu visited conflict zones in 2016, met with military officials, and frequently used derogatory language against the Rohingya to incite violence.

The Gambia filed a lawsuit against Myanmar at the ICJ in 2019 over the Rohingya genocide. The ICJ, the United Nations’ highest judicial body based in The Hague, will hold hearings on the Myanmar military’s genocide against the Rohingya minority from 12 to 29 January 2026. 

On the first day of the hearing, 12 January, Gambian lawyer Arsalan Suleman argued that the Rohingya are an indigenous people of Myanmar since ancient times, detailed the military’s human rights violations and killings against them, and highlighted how propaganda about the Rohingya was spread to the public, including the involvement of U Wirathu, Sitagu Sayadaw, and other Buddhist monks in the violence.

“This hearing has become particularly significant. We will be presenting submissions from witnesses, experts, and the military until Thursday, and if the proceedings conclude by the 29th, we could receive a court ruling this year. That makes this session especially noteworthy,” said U Nay San Lwin.

The hearings will be attended by U Ko Ko Hlaing, Minister for the President’s Office, and Dr. Thida Oo, Minister of Legal Affairs and Union Attorney-General of Myanmar, representing Myanmar’s junta.

The Gambia will present its case from 12 to 15 January, while Myanmar is scheduled to respond on 16, 19, and 20 January. Witness testimony will be conducted behind closed doors from 21 to 23 January, with the hearings resuming from 24 to 29 January.

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