Thailand has cut off the AIS One–2–Call internet line, a Thai SIM card internet line used in Phaya Thonezu town, Kya-in-Seikkyi Township, Kayin State, a town on the Thai-Myanmar border, on February 21, according to residents.
A resident of Phaya Thonezu said that since the Thailand cut off the AIS 1 – 2 – Call internet line used in the morning of February 21, it is no longer possible to make phone calls and use the internet.
He continued, “Currently, we can still use the internet with dtac and Truemove SIM cards, but they have also announced that they will cut off the line on February 26.”
There are some phone lines and internet lines in Phaya Thonezu, but they are not used because the lines are bad, and the electricity and internet lines in the town are being used from the Thai side. The resident said that after the electricity was cut off on February 5, the internet lines have also been cut off.
“First the electricity was cut off. Fuel imports were cut off. Now the communication lines are cut off. I don’t know it will cause impact on telecom fraud activities or not. The residents of Phaya Thonezu are facing a huge social and economic impact,” the resident continued.
According to the people who run the online shop, the internet-based businesses such as online shops have been forced to stop operating due to the internet cuts from the Thai side.
“In Phaya Thonezu, we have been using the phone and internet lines on the Thai side for a long time. As for WiFi, we have to use the lines from the Thai side. It is inconvenient to use the phone and internet lines from the Myanmar side. Now we have no electricity. There is no fuel to start the generator. Now that the internet lines are going to be cut off, I think it will have a big impact on border trade,” said an online shop owner in Phaya Thonezu.
Starting from February 5, Thailand began cutting off electricity and fuel supplies to border towns on the Myanmar side, including Myawady, Phaya Thonezu, and Tachileik, in an effort to combat online scums and human smuggling.
As a result, local residents living in border towns who rely on electricity, fuel, and internet lines from the Thai side are facing difficulties.
The Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) has issued a statement asking Chinese nationals who have illegally entered the Phaya Thonezu and are operating businesses including restaurants and casinos to leave the Phaya Thonezu by February 28, and that effective action will be taken if they fail to comply.
