Thailand has cut electricity, internet and fuel supplies to five border areas in Myanmar, a senior Thai minister said on Wednesday, as the Southeast Asian nation steps up efforts to choke scam centres that have become a growing security concern.

The government of Thailand has cut the power supply to areas near its border with Myanmar that are known to host brutal scam compounds.

Residents in Myanmar’s Myawaddy township, on the border with Thailand, are suffering severe impacts from the Thai government’s decision to cut electricity, internet and fuel supplies to the township on Feb 5.