A top Chinese official tours Thai-Myanmar border to highlight crackdown on scam centers

BANGKOK (AP) — Efforts to shut down online scam centers in Myanmar appeared to gain momentum on Monday as a top Chinese security official visited both sides of the Thai-Myanmar border ahead of expected large-scale repatriations of workers in the illicit industry. The visit by Liu Zhongyi, China's vice minister of public security and commissioner of the Criminal Investigation Bureau, was part of a stepped-up effort by the three countries to address the online scam problem, Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai told reporters. Areas of Myanmar bordering Thailand have been serving as havens for criminal syndicates employing an estimated…