have been uneven, with KNA soldiers still seen wearing KBGF badges and uniforms. She Zhijiang, who helped with the launch of the Yatai New City project with Saw Chit Thu, was arrested in Thailand in August 2022, for running illegal online gambling operations. He denied any intentional personal wrongdoing and accused China of turning against him after he acted under their instruction to build in the Myanmar region. She Zhijiang was held in Thailand until his extradition to China on 12 November 2025. A BBC interview from February 2025 suggests that operational control was then transferred to He Yingxiong, who denied the existence of scam activities and stated the company was a property developer. Myanmar Witness is unaware of any leadership changes in the Yatai New City Project, suggesting that He Yingxiong still likely leads business operations. Furthermore, what is important to highlight regarding the KBGF’s rebrand as the KNA is that the names may have changed and yet the control history remained closely connected to Shwe Kokko and its associated actors. Figure 2: A timeline showing the evolution of the different armed groups. (A Myanmar Witness visual). The KNU and its military faction, the KNLA, continue to hold territory in parts of Kayin State, formerly known as Karen State, alongside areas controlled by the DKBA and KNA. Tensions between armed groups appear to remain fluid, but current reporting indicates that many of the scam operations in Kayin State are found to be in KNA- and DKBA-controlled areas. It is important to note that one reported location in Kayin State is tied to the KNLA. www.info-res.org​ ​ ​ www.myanmarwitness.org ​ ​ ​ ​​ ​​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 5