Deception City: Myanmar's criminal cyber center was stormed

As a result of an offensive operation in Karen State, Myanmar's government forces, known as the Tatmadaw, regained control of two military bases previously captured by the rebels. In addition, they managed to establish control over the large criminal center KK Park, located in the border area with Thailand. It was there, according to sources, that Russian citizens could be held among thousands of slaves. Read more about the development of events and how the Myanmar army destroyed the empire of cyber slavery in the Izvestia article.

Myanmar government forces' offensive in Kayin State

On Monday, October 20, Tatmada soldiers announced a successful operation to take control of territories in the state of Kayin (or Karin) bordering Thailand, where there was a large cyber fraud center called KK Park. This complex is located near the town of Myawadi in eastern Myanmar, along the Moei River, which separates the country from Thailand.

According to Myanmar sources, foreigners were held in the center, who were forced to work for fraudulent schemes, among them, allegedly, were Russian citizens. The operation was accompanied by serious clashes with rebel forces. Thus, the Eleven Media portal reported on six major clashes and 52 less significant ones, during which the bodies of ten dead militants were found and 16 weapons with ammunition were seized. In addition, about 30 Starlink satellite terminals and related equipment were found.

During the inspection of the liberated territory, the extensive infrastructure of the criminal enterprise was also documented. According to foreign media reports, the complex consisted of more than 260 unregistered buildings.:

• residential and administrative buildings: 10 single-storey, 100 two-storey, 20 four-storey and 2 five-storey buildings;

• commercial facilities: 20 one-storey and 30 two-storey shops and service enterprises;

• warehouses: 15 single-storey, 20 two-storey and 10 four-storey premises;

• Medical facilities: 5 five-storey and 2 one-storey buildings;

• Construction in progress: 21 two-storey, 10 three-storey and 5 four-storey buildings.

Myanmar's special services have accused the leaders of the Karen National Union (KNU) ethnic armed group of involvement in KKK Park operations. However, the organization denies all charges.

Myanmar Military regains control of Slave Scam call Center

People found: the scale of exploitation and evidence of victims

After the completion of the operation in KK Park, the government forces of Myanmar announced the release of almost 2.2 thousand people held inside the complex. According to the official report, there were 1,645 male employees, 455 female and 98 security guards among them. Most of the people were victims of transnational criminal networks that recruited people under the guise of employment in Southeast Asian countries.

At the moment, it is unknown what fate awaits the detained workers. Myanmar's official agencies are continuing to verify the identities and circumstances of their stay at KK Park. Information about the presence of Russians in the center was received from Russian citizens who were released earlier thanks to a joint operation by the Russian Embassy in Bangkok and the law enforcement agencies of Thailand and Myanmar.

One of the victims was a Russian woman who was illegally transported across the border. After joint actions by Russian diplomats, Thai police and Myanmar authorities, the girl was released and taken to Bangkok for later return to her homeland. According to the Russian Embassy, there is an extensive criminal network operating in the region, disguised as international IT companies. Recruiters post ads for high-paying jobs, conduct online interviews, and invite candidates to Bangkok. However, upon arrival, the victims are stripped of their documents and phones and transported across the border to Myanmar, where they are forced to work in illegal call centers specializing in online fraud.

On the Tengrinews portal.kz a resident of Kazakhstan told how in August 2024 he responded to a vacancy for an IT specialist with a salary of up to $4 thousand in Bangkok. Together with six other compatriots, he was taken to KK Park by deception, his documents were taken away and they said that there was "no return." According to him, people from the CIS countries, Central Asia, the USA and South Africa were kept in the hostel. The conditions resembled army ones: strict regime, bunk beds, long work shifts.

The next day, all the new employees were taken to the office and told that they had "signed a two-year contract." Their task was to participate in online fraudulent schemes. For the Russian—speaking team, the target audience was wealthy women from Russia over the age of 40 - romantic correspondence was conducted on their behalf, as a result of which victims were persuaded to invest in fictitious crypto projects.

"We were trained to use artificial intelligence, which replaced the face and body in the video," said the young man. "Everything looked absolutely realistic." The monthly income plan was $1.5 million, and the working day lasted up to 17 hours. Violators of the regime were severely punished and threatened with transfer to the so-called "black companies", from where, as they said, no one returns. To free himself, the family of a Kazakhstani had to pay a ransom of $37 thousand.

The stories of such victims confirm that KK Park was not just a place of criminal activity, but a center of large-scale human exploitation. The Myanmar army's operation in Kayin State not only dealt a blow to the cyberbullying infrastructure, but also shed light on the scale of modern slavery in the region, which has become one of the centers of transnational human trafficking.

Why Myanmar started Fighting Cyberbullying

The operation in Kayin State has become not only an internal military success of Myanmar, but also an element of a large-scale campaign aimed at combating transnational crime. Thus, after the military coup of 2021, the central government lost control over a number of regions where power passed to armed ethnic groups. It is these zones that have become fertile ground for the shadow economy, including smuggling, illegal casinos and cyber fraud centers.

According to international human rights organizations, dozens of similar "ghost towns" operate on the Myanmar-Thailand border alone — fenced areas with guards where victims are forced to work under threat of violence. In recent years, cases of participation in such schemes by citizens of China, Vietnam, Russia, Kazakhstan and other CIS countries have been increasingly recorded.

The operation against KK Park has become the largest in the last two years and, according to analysts, indicates an attempt by the army to strengthen control over a strategically important region. Experts note that the Government of Myanmar seeks not only to demonstrate its ability to fight crime, but also to improve the international image of the country under sanctions and diplomatic isolation.

The raid received support from China and Thailand, countries that are actively seeking to eliminate online fraud networks that harm their citizens. The release of KK Park can be considered as the first step towards the creation of a regional cooperation mechanism in the field of combating cybercrime and human trafficking.