Myanmar troops strike KK Park scam compounds, destroying buildings and triggering mass exodus
Myanmar’s KK scam compound in Myawaddy has been bombed since 24 October 2025 by government and Karen forces, triggering an exodus of over 1,500 foreign workers into Thailand. The attacks are part of a growing campaign against cybercrime hubs along the border.
- Myanmar government and Karen forces bombed the KK Park scam hub four times since 24 October 2025.
- Over 1,500 foreign workers fled the compound, crossing into Thailand’s Mae Sot district.
- The operation signals Myanmar’s intensified crackdown on cross-border cybercrime centres.
Bombings have struck the KK Park scam complex in Myawaddy four times since last Friday, 24 October 2025, according to Thailand’s Third Army Region. The latest attack occurred on 26 October and involved explosives used by Myanmar government troops and allied Karen forces.
The explosions did not harm Thai residents living about 500 metres away in Mae Ku sub-district, Mae Sot district of Tak province. Security sources confirmed that drones equipped with bombs were used in the assault, followed by ground forces detonating explosives to destroy several buildings.
On 20 October, Myanmar’s ruling military has raided one of the country’s most notorious online scam compounds near the Thai border, confiscating Starlink satellite internet equipment reportedly used to power the illicit industry.
According to The Global New Light of Myanmar, troops “conducted operations in KK Park near the Myanmar–Thai border” and “seized 30 sets of Starlink receivers and accessories”.
The operation comes days after an AFP investigation revealed a surge in Starlink devices being deployed in scam compounds operating from Myanmar’s conflict-ridden border regions. These centres are notorious for orchestrating global fraud schemes, often run by trafficked or coerced labour.
However, the 30 devices seized represent only a fraction of those visible in satellite and drone imagery reviewed by AFP, which showed as many as 80 Starlink dishes on a single building roof within KK Park.
Following the raid, more than 600 people fled KK Park across the Moei River into Thailand. Since the start of the offensive, a total of 1,525 foreign nationals have entered Mae Sot district, escaping Myanmar’s crackdown on scam compounds.
Among them were 1,275 men and 250 women. The largest groups included 482 from India, 193 from China, 220 from the Philippines, 135 from Vietnam, 133 from Ethiopia, and 102 from Kenya. Others came from Pakistan, Myanmar, Thailand, and several other countries, according to the Tak provincial office.
All escapees are being held in temporary screening centres to determine who were coerced into scam operations and who worked voluntarily in online fraud schemes.
The KK Park compound, infamous for running large-scale cyber scams, is part of a network of enclaves along Myanmar’s border that have flourished amid the country’s civil war since the 2021 coup. These compounds are often guarded by militias linked to the military and controlled by Chinese criminal syndicates.
The United Nations has reported that billions of dollars are generated annually through such cybercrime operations, with hundreds of thousands of people trafficked or forced into fraudulent online work.
Lieutenant-General Worathep Boonya, commander of Thailand’s Third Army Region, said more foreign workers are expected to flee to Mae Sot if Myanmar continues its attacks on other scam hubs.
He noted that Thai authorities are monitoring the border and providing humanitarian assistance while maintaining strict security controls.
The partial destruction of KK Park marks an escalation in Myanmar’s campaign against cybercrime, intertwining its internal conflict with regional efforts to combat human trafficking and digital fraud.
