Myanmar is notorious for hosting cyberscam operations responsible for bilking people all over the world. These usually involve gaining victims' confidence online with romantic ploys and bogus investment pitches.
The 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.Â
The army raided KK Park, a well-documented cybercrime centre, as part of operations starting in early September to suppress online fraud, illegal gambling, and cross-border cybercrime, Myanma Alinn newspaper reported.
It published photos displaying seized Starlink equipment and soldiers said to be carrying out the raid, though it was unclear when exactly they were taken.
KK Park is located on the outskirts of Myawaddy, a major trading town on the border with Thailand in Myanmar's Kayin state. The area is only loosely under the control of Myanmar's military government, and also falls under the influence of ethnic minority militias.
Major General Zaw Min Tun, the spokesperson for the military government, alleged the top leaders of the Karen National Union, an armed ethnic organisation opposed to army rule, were involved in the scam projects at KK Park.
The allegation was previously made based on claims that a company backed by the Karen group allowed the land to be leased. However, the Karen, who are part of the larger armed resistance movement in Myanmar's civil war, deny any involvement in the scams.
Myanma Alinn said the army ascertained that more than 260 buildings were unregistered, and seized equipment, including 30 sets of Starlink satellite internet terminals. It said 2198 individuals were detained though it did not give their nationalities.
Starlink is part of Elon Musk's SpaceX company and the terminals link to its satellites. It does not have licensed operations in Myanmar, but at least hundreds of terminals have been smuggled into the Southeast Asian nation.
The company could not be immediately reached for comment but its policy bans "conduct that is defamatory, fraudulent, obscene, or deceptive."
China has been pressing Myanmar and Thailand's government to do more to end the illegal businesses run by Chinese syndicates on their border.
