INTERNATIONAL – The military in Myanmar recently conducted a major operation targeting a large-scale online scam hub known as KK Park, located near the Thai border in Kayin State. During the raid, more than 2,000 people were detained, marking one of the most significant crackdowns on transnational cybercrime in the region. The operation was reported by local press and cited by CNBC Indonesia.
A source from the local Alinn Daily noted that the military discovered more than 260 illegal structures and seized dozens of satellite internet terminals, including at least 30 units of Starlink, which was reportedly used by the scam network despite lacking legal approval to operate in Myanmar.
The hub allegedly specialised in elaborate online fraud schemes targeting victims abroad. Tactics included romance scams, fake investment opportunities and employment traps. Foreign nationals were reportedly lured to the site, then coerced into executing the scams. Meanwhile, the military has questioned whether ethnic armed groups were complicit. Major-General Zaw Min Tun publicly accused the Karen National Union of facilitating the operation, a claim the group firmly denied.
The raid forms part of a broader campaign launched in early September to fight cybercrime, illegal gambling and human-trafficking rings in the border region. The Myanmar government is acutely aware of international pressure and recently faced sanctions from Western nations over such transnational networks.
Read More: New Nature Park at Turf City to Protect Rare Wildlife
Officials say that the incarceration of over 2,000 individuals was only the initial phase of the crackdown. Many of those detained were identified as operational staff of the scam centre, and investigations are expanding to capture the entire supply chain from recruitment to payments. Analysts warn the total number of workers conscripted into the fraud factory may be higher.
Financially, the network’s use of sat-internet infrastructure such as Starlink raised fresh concerns about the accessibility of high-speed communications in illicit operations. One expert pointed out that the ability to route traffic through satellite links posed major challenges to enforcement.
Myanmar’s border terrain with clusters of informal settlements and limited state presence has long been exploited by cyber-fraud networks. This raid underscores a shift towards more aggressive enforcement by the military junta, though observers caution that dismantling the underlying infrastructure will require sustained cross-border cooperation.
Victims worldwide, regulatory agencies and cyber-crime investigators are now monitoring developments closely, hoping for transparency on the identities of the arrested individuals, asset-seizure outcomes and pathways for redress.
