Around 700 People Flee to Thailand After Raid on Myanmar Scam Compound

The Thai army said on Thursday that about 700 foreigners fled from Myanmar into Thailand following a military operation targeting KK Park, a notorious cybercrime compound allegedly backed by China.

In a statement, the army said 677 people — including 618 men and 59 women — were detained after crossing the border into Thailand’s Tak province.

According to the statement, Myanmar’s military has taken control of KK Park and is investigating the area, prompting a large group of people to flee into Thailand.

Authorities said those detained are now undergoing legal and screening procedures, and additional detention facilities have been arranged as existing ones reach capacity.

“All actions are being carried out in accordance with legal and humanitarian principles,” the statement added, noting that Thai security forces are working with local agencies to maintain order along the Thai–Myanmar border.

The army said most of those detained are from India and China, with smaller numbers from Vietnam, Pakistan, Indonesia, and several other countries.

KK Park, located in eastern Myanmar, is widely known among international law enforcement and diplomats as a major center for cyber scams. The sprawling compound — along with several nearby sites — is operated primarily by Chinese criminal syndicates and protected by local militias linked to Myanmar’s military.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, border regions spanning Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia have become hubs for online fraud networks. The United Nations estimates that these scam compounds have trafficked hundreds of thousands of people, generating billions of dollars in illegal profits.