Myanmar’s military arrested 2,198 people

Myanmar military announced it arrested 2,198 people (1,645 men, 445 women, and 98 male security guards) and confiscated 30 Starlink satellites during a recent raid on KK Park, a sprawling, notorious scam centre located in Myawaddy Township, Kayin State, on the border with Thailand.

The building complex, consisting of over 250 low-rise buildings, was reportedly used by international criminal syndicates for various illegal activities, including online romance and investment scams, illegal gambling, and money laundering.

Employees at such centres are often human trafficking victims forced to carry out the scams under slave-like conditions. Thai police estimate up to 100,000 people work in these operations along the Thai-Myanmar border alone.

The raid comes as Myanmar faces pressure from China and Thailand to curb the scam centre activity, which is often linked to Chinese crime syndicates. The military also accused leaders of the Karen National Union, an ethnic armed group, of involvement in the scam projects.

Myanmar has been embroiled in a civil war since the 2021 coup, with ongoing fighting between the military, opposition groups, and ethnic armies in the area.

The US Department of the Treasury sanctioned over 20 entities in Myanmar and Cambodia in September for alleged involvement in these billion-dollar scam operations.