Infamous Cyber Fraud Hub Associated with China-based Mafia Targeted

The Myanmar junta claims it has captured one of the most notorious deception compounds on the border with Thailand, as it reclaims important area surrendered in the current civil war.

KK Park, located south of the border town of Myawaddy, has been linked with digital deception, cash cleaning and people smuggling for the previous five-year period.

Thousands were attracted to the compound with promises of well-paid positions, and then coerced to run complex schemes, extracting substantial sums of dollars from targets across the world.

The junta, long tainted by its links to the scam operations, now declares it has seized the compound as it increases dominance around Myawaddy, the key commercial route to Thailand.

In the past few weeks, the military has driven back opposition fighters in various parts of Myanmar, seeking to expand the quantity of places where it can hold a scheduled election, commencing in December.

It currently doesn't control large swathes of the state, which has been divided by fighting since a military coup in February 2021.

The poll has been rejected as a sham by opposition forces who have vowed to obstruct it in territories they hold.

KK Park started with a lease agreement in early 2020 to establish an business complex between the ethnic organization (KNU), the ethnic insurgent organization which dominates much of this territory, and a obscure HK listed company, Huanya International.

Analysts think there are links between Huanya and a prominent Chinese underworld personality Wan Kuok Koi, more commonly called Broken Tooth, who has later invested in further deception hubs on the frontier.

The compound expanded rapidly, and is clearly observable from the Thai border of the frontier.

Those who succeeded to flee from it recount a harsh system enforced on the thousands, many from continental African nations, who were detained there, compelled to operate long hours, with torture and physical violence administered on those who failed to reach objectives.

A announcement by the regime's communications department claimed its troops had "secured" KK Park, freeing more than 2,000 workers there and confiscating 30 of Elon Musk's Starlink communication devices – extensively utilized by deception hubs on the Myanmar-Thai border for internet activities.

The statement accused what it called the "militant" KNU and local people's defence forces, which have been combating the regime since the overthrow, for illegally occupying the territory.

The regime's claim to have closed this infamous scam facility is very likely directed at its key backer, China.

Beijing has been pressuring the junta and the Thai authorities to take additional measures to terminate the criminal activities operated by Asian syndicates on their shared frontier.

Previously in the year thousands of Asian laborers were removed of deception facilities and flown on special flights back to China, after Thailand restricted access to energy and fuel provisions.

But KK Park is merely one of a minimum of 30 similar compounds situated on the boundary.

Most of these are under the control of local paramilitary forces aligned to the military, and the majority are presently functioning, with numerous individuals running frauds inside them.

In fact, the backing of these paramilitary forces has been crucial in helping the armed forces repel the KNU and further rebel groups from land they seized over the previous 24 months.

The armed forces now governs nearly all of the highway connecting Myawaddy to the remainder of Myanmar, a target the regime established before it conducts the opening round of the poll in December.

It has taken Lay Kay Kaw, a new town created for the KNU with Asian funding in 2015, a time when there had been aspirations for permanent tranquility in Karen State following a nationwide peace agreement.

That represents a more important setback to the KNU than the takeover of KK Park, from which it received some funds, but where the majority of the financial advantages went to regime-supporting armed groups.

A well-placed contact has indicated that fraud activities is persisting in KK Park, and that it is possible the armed forces took control of only part of the sprawling facility.

The insider also suspects Beijing is providing the Myanmar armed forces inventories of China-based persons it desires extracted from the deception complexes, and transported back to face trial in China, which may clarify why KK Park was targeted.