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Scam Cities—Asterisk

asteriskmag.com · 2,194 words · saved by 10 readers

Criminal networks throughout Southeast Asia are demonstrating the dangers of making “the ultimate exit.” In Kayin State in southeastern Myanmar, the silhouette of an ornate city gleams along the Moei River. The town of Shwe Kokko was once a rural backwater on the Thai border, but since 2017, the construction of Yatai New City, a $15 billion project, has promised to transform its 46 square miles of farmland into a futuristic cosmopolis catering to Asia’s entrepreneurs and tourists. In a 2020 promotional video, Yatai’s Chinese-born founder, She Zhijiang, pitched the planned city as “Myanmar’s Silicon Valley,” a hub for technological innovation that might one day rival Shenzhen or Singapore. On paper, Yatai may resemble a promising experiment for innovation and prosperity. The city, which labels itself as a “special economic zone,” is also historically beyond the direct reach of the Burmese central government. The new city’s private developer provides public utilities and maintains securi

Scam Cities—Asterisk Criminal networks throughout Southeast Asia are demonstrating the dangers of making “the ultimate exit.” In Kayin State in southeastern Myanmar, the silhouette of an ornate city gleams along the Moei River. The town of Shwe Kokko was once a rural backwater on the Thai border, but since 2017, the construction of Yatai New City, a $15 billion project, has promised to transform its 46 square miles of farmland into a futuristic cosmopolis catering to Asia’s entrepreneurs and tourists. In a 2020 promotional video, Yatai’s Chinese-born founder, She Zhijiang, pitched the planned

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