Thailand cut off electricity to towns in Thai-Myanmar border areas , Myawaddy, Payathonzu and Shwe Kokko, starting on February 5 to combat online financial scams, according to local residents. Currently, some local residents living in those border towns relying on electricity transmitted from Thai faced difficulties.
The electricity from Thailand was cut off after Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra instructed the defense Minister to cut off the electricity without hesitation to combat online financial scams. Buying fuel oil to operate generators faced difficulties at the time of electricity cut off. The patients using oxygen faced difficulties as well as most of the enterprises relying on electricity, said a resident living in Payathonzu.
As online financial scam groups used generators, solar and power stations, they suffered a little impacts, some local residents said. Currently, in Tachilek which is using electricity from Laos, people are planning to buy more electricity from Laos, said a resident from Tachilek.
In Myawaddy, the electricity cut off do not affect heavily, because they are using solar and generators as they do not get electricity both from Myanmar and Thai side for various reasons since one year ago, said local residents from Myawaddy. Private electricity supply companies also affected by electricity cut off.
