Myanmar military raids notorious cybercrime center on the border with Thailand

Photo: REUTERS, photo editor: Serikzhan Kovlanbayev

Myanmar’s military has detained more than 2,000 people following a raid on the KK Park compound, a well-known online scam center near the Thai border, the Guardian reported, citing local state-run media sources.

The operation, launched in early September, targeted online fraud, illegal gambling and cross-border cybercrime activities. KK Park, located on the outskirts of Myawaddy in Kayin State, has been repeatedly linked to cyberfraud operations that traffic foreign workers and force them into online scams.

Myanmar has been embroiled in a civil war since the military coup d’état in 2021, marked by fierce battles with the Karen National Union, an armed group representing the Karen ethnic minority that opposes the junta. Amid this power vacuum, the country has become a haven for criminal syndicates running large-scale scam operations just across the border from tourism-thriving Thailand.

During the raid, Myanmar authorities identified more than 260 unregistered buildings in the area and seized 30 Starlink terminals, all of which were smuggled into the country. Starlink does not provide services in this part of the world, according to the Guardian.