The takedown of a notorious Myanmar fraud compound appears to have been “operational”.
After the Myanmar army The junta raided a notorious fraud complex in October and destroyed the buildings with explosives, with officials claiming the country would completely “eradicate” forced fraud within its borders. Now newly released satellite images of the KK Park fraud center show that only buildings in a limited section of the compound were destroyed during the initial attacks. Meanwhile, scam compound experts say the whole effort is probably “advertising.”
High-definition images of the KK Park scam complex, located near the Myanmar-Thailand border, show how military forces razed several buildings to the ground, leaving piles of rubble in their wake. However, images show that the destruction has so far been limited to the eastern side of the giant compound, with hundreds of buildings remaining intact across the vast site.
The raids on KK Park and other fraud schemes are likely part of a broader “operational” effort by Myanmar’s military government, which is under increasing pressure to crack down on highly lucrative fraud schemes that have flourished in recent years, multiple experts told WIRED. They also express concern for the welfare of the thousands of people forced to run the scam at KK Park.
“The junta looks like they’re destroying the entire compound, and the footage we’ve seen so far is limited to one section,” said Eric Heintz, a global analyst at the International Justice Mission, an anti-slavery organization. It is important to monitor this to check what they are actually doing and [see] “If it’s just for show or if they’re really suppressing the real problem.”
Satellite images taken on November 16 appear to show that some buildings located around the courtyards have been almost completely destroyed, with debris scattered around other buildings. Heintz says the images, along with additional social media images, show that some of the “villas” and dormitories where trafficking victims were housed appear to have been damaged or destroyed. (Myanmar’s military government has said further demolitions began on November 17; third-party reports also indicate more buildings have been destroyed).
“All the important buildings you need to run scams are still intact and still ready to be used,” said Mechelle B Moore, CEO of Global Alms, a Thailand-based nonprofit that helps smugglers in Myanmar’s scam compounds. “They’re making a good show right now to say they don’t support fraud syndicates or people-trafficking. But what they’ve allowed is that all the fraud syndicates — all the fraud bosses and supervisors — have been allowed to get away with it,” Moore claims.
Over the past decade, dozens of scam combinations have appeared in Southeast Asia, mainly in Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos. These compounds, often run by or linked to Chinese organized crime groups, lure people into working for them – often with offers of high-paying jobs – and then force them to commit a series of scams. Victims of trafficking often have their passports confiscated. If they refuse to cheat, they can be tortured or beaten. By stealing from people all over the world, these compounds have generated billions of dollars for organized crime groups.
Amid widespread crime, KK Park has emerged as one of the largest and most notorious fraud syndicates in Myanmar. Five years ago, this place was a collection of farms near the city of Meowadi, but since then it has grown into a sprawling complex with hundreds of buildings and thousands of people.
