Shwe Kokko

Shwe Kokko Myaing (Burmese: ရွှေကုက္ကိုမြိုင်; lit. 'golden raintree forest'), commonly known as Shwe Kokko (Burmese: ရွှေကုက္ကို, Chinese: 水沟谷; pinyin: Shuǐgōugǔ), is a town in Myawaddy Township, Myawaddy District in the Kayin State of south-east Myanmar. Shwe Kokko lies on the left (western) bank of the Moei River (Thaungyin River), facing Thailand to the east. The town is located 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of Myawaddy. In recent years, Shwe Kokko has evolved into an organized crime and human trafficking hub, due to the Burmese government's limited reach and oversight in this remote area. Chinese-led development projects in Shwe Kokko, including Yatai New City, have been involved in illegal gambling, human trafficking, extortion, and cyber scam operations.