He is considered a powerful figure in the border area,[2][3][4][5] and has been sanctioned by the United Kingdom for links to projects which use trafficked and forced labour in online scam farms.
[23] In December 2023, the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on Saw Chit Thu for being linked to "forced labour schemes" in which "victims were trafficked to work for online scam farms".
[6][7] On 23 January 2024, Saw Chit Thu told the media that he discussed with Lt. Gen. Soe Win, the Deputy Commander-in-Chief, that the Border Guard Force (BGF), would no longer wish to accept money and supplies from the military.
[24][25] In response to this surprise announcement, long-time Myanmar analyst David Scott Mathieson noted that: Even Saw Chit Thu has made a dramatic realignment, recently ending his alliance with the military, and after first attempting to retire in Yangon and Mandalay, then declaring “autonomy” in a stunning turn after 30 years of being the Sit-Tat’s hired thug.
After three decades of the DKBA, then BGF, burning down refugee camps, drug dealing, land grabbing and conniving with Chinese gangsters to create the monstrosity of Shwe Kokko casino and the scam centers, Chit Thu should be in the top five defendants at any eventual Karen State War Crimes Trial.