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MYANMAR’S military has raided a notorious online scam centre near the Thai border, detaining over 2,000 individuals and seizing internet equipment including dozens of unlicensed Starlink terminals, according to state media reports published on Monday.
The crackdown targeted KK Park, a cybercrime hub located on the outskirts of Myawaddy in Kayin State—a region marked by loose military control and the presence of ethnic armed groups. The area has long been associated with scam syndicates that operate fraudulent investment schemes and romantic cons targeting victims worldwide.
AP cited on Tuesday that, in a statement carried by Myanma Alinn, the military confirmed that operations to suppress online fraud, illegal gambling and cross-border cybercrime began in early September.
The report stated that more than 260 buildings in KK Park were found to be unregistered, and 2,198 people were detained. It did not specify the nationalities of those arrested.
Images released by state media show troops conducting the raids and displaying equipment, including 30 Starlink satellite terminals.
Starlink, a satellite internet provider operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, is not licensed in Myanmar. However, hundreds of terminals are believed to have been smuggled into the country, enabling scam operations to maintain internet access even in remote or unregulated regions.
Starlink has yet to comment, but its terms of service prohibit “conduct that is defamatory, fraudulent, obscene, or deceptive.”
The operations come amid heightened international attention on cybercrime in Southeast Asia. Just last week, the United States and United Kingdom imposed sanctions on the organisers of a major scam syndicate operating out of Cambodia. A suspected ringleader has been indicted in New York.
Such cybercrime networks are often linked to human trafficking, with victims lured into compounds under the guise of legitimate employment and later forced into criminal activity.
“These centres are infamous for recruiting workers from other countries under false pretences, promising them legitimate jobs and then holding them captive and forcing them to carry out criminal activities,” noted an earlier report.
Major General Zaw Min Tun, spokesperson for Myanmar’s military government, alleged that senior leaders of the Karen National Union (KNU)—a major ethnic armed organisation resisting military rule—were complicit in the KK Park scams. He claimed land connected to the scam compound was leased by a company backed by the Karen group.
However, the KNU has denied any involvement, insisting it opposes the scams and the criminal syndicates behind them.
Earlier this year, Myanmar and Thailand, under pressure from China, coordinated a joint crackdown on cybercrime operations along the border. That effort reportedly led to the release of thousands of trafficked individuals held in scam compounds.
While the latest raid suggests a renewed military effort against such operations, sceptics note that similar actions in 2023 failed to fully dismantle the networks—raising questions about whether this is a genuine enforcement push or a politically motivated move in Myanmar’s complex civil conflict. - October 21, 2025
