MAE SOT: NBTC joins hands with police to crack down on massive illegal cable towers and wires in the Mae Sot area, secretly broadcasting signals covering neighboring economic areas, feeding signals to call center gangs. Pol. Gen. Natthorn Phueasunthon, NBTC member of the Legal Affairs Committee and Chairman of the Subcommittee on Integrating Enforcement of Technology Crime Laws, Pol. Lt. Gen. Thatchai Pitaneelabutr, Acting Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police and Director of the Technology Crime Suppression Center, Royal Thai Police (TCSD), along with NBTC officers and Mae Sot Provincial Police, jointly announced the results of the arrest of those who illegally dragged illegal signal cables across the border and set up an internet signal distribution base to neighboring countries on the border of Mae Sot District, Tak Province.
According to Thai News Agency, following arrests in several areas along the border from Mukdahan and Nong Khai provinces, this arrest was a new point, with 16 large cable pipes found
, making it the largest illegal cable seizure ever. An inspection using special equipment from the NBTC found that the network was secretly distributing signals to large economic areas on the opposite side, covering hundreds of square kilometers, feeding signals to call center gangs who had moved their bases to cluster in the area.
Following the arrest of a gang that illegally set up signal poles and extended cables across the border to neighboring countries in several locations along the border, and the expedition of investigations into such wrongdoings, until the NBTC Region 3, together with the Royal Thai Police, discovered that there were still gangs illegally setting up point-to-point signal bases to transmit internet signals across countries in several locations along the Thai-Myanmar border. They also found that 16 large high-speed signal cables were being illegally laid across the Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge 1 (Mae Sot District). Of these, two were 216-core fiber optic cables, two were 96-core, a
nd the rest were 24-core. An examination using a special instrument (OTDR) revealed that this network had been extended several kilometers deep into a neighboring country. Due to the size of the cables, they were able to distribute signals covering four economic cities, covering hundreds of square kilometers, and feeding signals to call center gangs who had moved their bases to the area. It is believed that the network’s signal cut-off this time will prevent call center gangs in the area from accessing the internet signal. The behavior of this network is considered to be an audacious act, without fear of the law, and is an offense of operating telecommunications businesses without permission, which is an offense under Section 67 (3) of the Telecommunications Business Act, which carries a maximum penalty of imprisonment not exceeding 5 years or a fine not exceeding 10 million baht, or both.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Thatchai said that according to the National Police Chief’s assignment to be responsible for the Technolog
y Crime Suppression Center of the Royal Thai Police (TCSD), there has been close coordination with the NBTC, with many large networks arrested, and the call center gang problem has been solved in an integrated manner in every dimension, starting from the removal of illegal cables along the border, the search of SIM booths, the seizure of 101,068 Thai SIM cards, SIM BOXes, and many other devices, along with the organization of small shops nationwide and raising awareness among the public, which each part has made significant progress. The cable smuggling operation that we arrested today is considered a large network that threatens the security and safety of the public. After this, I have ordered all units responsible for the border areas to coordinate with the NBTC to investigate wrongdoings of this nature. If any are found, decisive action will be taken against every case.