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Myanmar’s military authorities have intensified their crackdown on cyber-scam operations along the Myanmar–Thailand border, arresting 1,590 foreign nationals in a five-day sweep, state media reported.
According to the junta-run Global New Light of Myanmar, the arrests were carried out between November 18 and 23 in Shwe Kokko, a border settlement long known as a “gambling and fraud hub” dominated by syndicates running online scams.
On November 22 alone, security forces detained 223 foreign nationals who had allegedly gone into hiding after participating in online fraud and illegal online gambling, the newspaper reported. Authorities also seized 2,893 computers, 21,750 mobile phones, 101 SpaceX Starlink receivers and “a large quantity of industrial materials” allegedly used in scam operations.
OCCRP earlier reported that the Ministry of Information detained 346 people in a separate raid on a Shwe Kokko compound known for pig-butchering romance and investment scams run from fortified compounds and converted casinos.
In a separate operation at KK Park, another major cyber-scam enclave near the Thai border, the junta on Sunday demolished 11 of the site’s 635 buildings used for online fraud and illegal gambling, the ministry said Monday. The demolition brings the total number of illegal structures destroyed there to 217.
Adding to the tally, authorities on November 23 arrested another 156 foreign nationals in Shwe Kokko for alleged involvement in fraud and illegal gambling. Those detained included 65 Chinese nationals and 20 Indians.
According to the Ministry of Information, the recent raids bring the number of foreign nationals arrested in scam crackdowns since January to 12,468. Of those, 9,978 have been deported, while 2,608 remain in custody and are being “properly held and cared for” pending transfer, the ministry said.
A large-scale operation at KK Park in October resulted in more than 2,000 detentions.
Pressure on Myanmar’s cyber-fraud networks has also increased from the United States. Earlier this month, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned a Myanmar rebel group and several associates for allegedly running scam compounds that target Americans and exploit trafficked workers.
The ruling junta has itself faced accusations of facilitating cyber-scam activity. In May, the U.S. Treasury designated the Karen National Army as a “transnational criminal organization” and sanctioned three of its leaders. A 2024 Deutsche Welle investigation found that troops of the Karen Border Guard Force were providing security at KK Park.
