Myanmar’s junta raided one of the country’s most notorious internet scam centres and seized Starlink devices, it said on Monday, after an investigation had revealed an explosion in their use in the billion-dollar black market.
A transnational push by Thai, Chinese and Myanmar authorities starting in February resulted in a huge crackdown releasing around 7,000 workers, many of whom say they were trafficked to work in the fortified compounds.
But an investigation earlier this month revealed rapid new construction at scam centre sites and devices using Elon Musk-owned satellite internet service Starlink being installed on their roofs.
State media The Global New Light of Myanmar said the military “conducted operations in KK Park near the Myanmar-Thai border” and had “seized 30 sets of Starlink receivers and accessories”.
Junta troops had occupied around 200 buildings and discovered nearly 2,200 workers at the site, the state mouthpiece newspaper said.
Southeast Asian scam operations conned people in the wider region out of US$37 billion in 2023, according to a report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
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