Nearly 700 Foreigners Including Pakistanis Escape After Raid on Myanmar Scam Center

Nearly 700 foreign nationals, including Pakistani citizens, have crossed into Thailand from Myanmar following a military operation targeting KK Park, a cybercrime hub notorious for scam operations.

In a statement, the Thai army confirmed that authorities detained 677 individuals, 618 men and 59 women, after they entered Thailand’s Tak province. The group is now undergoing legal and immigration procedures.

Myanmar’s military reportedly took control of KK Park and began inspecting the compound, prompting a wave of people to flee across the border into Thailand. In response, Thai officials have prepared additional detention facilities in case the current centers become overcrowded.

The army said the operation is being conducted in accordance with legal and humanitarian principles, with local security agencies coordinating efforts to maintain order along the Thai-Myanmar border.

According to Thai authorities, most of the detained individuals are from India and China, with smaller numbers from Vietnam, Pakistan, Indonesia, and other countries.

KK Park, located in Myanmar’s Myawaddy township near the Thai border, is widely known among international law enforcement and diplomats as a base for cyberscams. The compound, and others in the region, are reportedly controlled by Chinese criminal syndicates and protected by local militia groups with ties to Myanmar’s military.

Scam operations have surged in border areas connecting Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia since the COVID-19 pandemic. The United Nations estimates that these criminal networks have generated billions of dollars by trafficking and forcing hundreds of thousands of people to work in illegal online fraud centers.