Thai authorities cut off electricity Wednesday at five points on the border with Myanmar in an attempt to combat cyber scam centers that operate from the other side of the border and have created a regional security problem with thousands of victims in recent years.

Thailand on Wednesday cut off power supplies to areas in Myanmar where scam networks operate, following a public outcry demanding government action to tackle the problem.

Thailand will suspend electricity supply to some border areas with Myanmar in an effort to curb scam centres, its government said on Tuesday, amid growing pressure on the illegal compounds that have ensnared vast numbers of people of multiple nationalities.