YANGON: Myanmar's junta raided one of the country's most notorious internet scam centres and seized Starlink devices, it said Monday (Oct 20), after an AFP investigation revealed an explosion in their use in the billion-dollar black market.
Internet sweat shops where workers scam unsuspecting foreigners with business or romance schemes have thrived in war-ravaged Myanmar's lawless border regions since the coronavirus pandemic.
A transnational push by Thai, Chinese and Myanmar authorities starting in February resulted in a huge crackdown releasing around 7,000 workers, many who say they were trafficked to work in the fortified compounds.
But an AFP investigation 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 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.
South-East 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.
Starlink, which is not licensed in Myanmar, did not have enough traffic to make it onto the list of the country's internet providers before the sweeping February crackdown.
But it topped the ranking every day from July 3 until October 1, according to data from the Asian regional internet registry, APNIC.
Starlink did not respond to a request for comment following AFP's investigation.
Meanwhile satellite images show what appear to be office and dormitory blocks shooting up in many of the estimated 27 scam centres which are strung out along a winding stretch of the Moei River on the Thai-Myanmar border.
While Myanmar - roiled by civil war since a 2021 coup - has emerged as the epicentre of scam centres in South-East Asia, they have also flourished elsewhere in the region.
South Korean police said on Monday they have issued arrest warrants for 45 suspects who were deported by Cambodia over their alleged links to cyberscam operations there. - AFP
