military have closed down an , detaining more than 2000 people, according to state media on Monday.
During the raid, which took place near the border with Thailand, dozens of Starlink satellite internet terminals were also seized.
Myanmar is notorious for hosting cyberscam operations which have been responsible for taking money from people all over the world through scams which usually involve gaining victims’ confidence online with romantic ploys or other ruses.
Cyberscam centers on the rise
In recent years, for recruiting workers from other countries under false pretenses. The individuals are promised legitimate jobs and then held captive and forced to carry out criminal activities.
On Monday, the army raided KK Park which is a well-documented cybercrime center, according to report in the Myanma Alinn newspaper.
The move came as part of operations that begun in early September to suppress online fraud, illegal gambling, and cross-border cybercrime.
Unlicensed Starlink terminals siezed
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 junta but also falls under the influence of ethnic minority militias.
Further details of the report said the army ascertained that more than 260 buildings were unregistered, and equipment including 30 sets of Starlink satellite internet terminals seized.
Starlink is part of Elon Musk’s SpaceX company and the terminals link to its satellites, but the company is not licensed for operations in Myanmar. Hundreds of terminals are said to have been smuggled into the southeast Asian nation in recent years.
Additionally, 2,198 individuals were also detained during the raid at KK Park, although their nationalities were not known.
Army accuses armed ethnic organization of running cybercrime center
Major General Zaw Min Tun, the spokesperson for the military government, claimed in a statement that the top leaders of the Karen National Union were involved in the scam projects at KK Park.
Karen are an armed ethnic organization opposed to army rule and are part of the larger armed resistance movement in Myanmar’s civil war.
They have denied any involvement in the scams. The claims against them are based on the fact that the group allegedly owns and leases the land KK Park sits on.
Edited by: Elizabeth Schumacher
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