| KK Park | |
|---|---|
| Fraud factory and human trafficking hub | |
| 👁 Image | |
Location in Myanmar | |
| Coordinates | 16°38′51.2″N 98°31′14.6″E / 16.647556°N 98.520722°E / 16.647556; 98.520722 |
| Location | Myawaddy, Kayin State, Myanmar |
KK Park (Chinese: KK園區) is a scam centre located in Myawaddy Township, Myanmar. Located next to the Moei River on the Myanmar–Thailand border, the complex is a major hub of cybercrimes, internet frauds, investment frauds, pig butchering scams (a form of catfishing and romance scams usually using cryptocurrency), and human trafficking within the larger Golden Triangle region.[1][2]
On 21 October 2025, the Myanmar junta's information ministry announced that its force had captured and cleared the park, releasing more than 2,000 workers and confiscating 30 Starlink satellite terminals.[3][4]
History
[edit]The complex was originally designed for border trade purpose, constructed between 2019 and 2021, with additional construction ongoing as of 2023.[5] Dozens of such fraud factories were compiled and reported by media.[6] According to DW, there are at least 12 related scamming sites near the border with Thailand.[7][8] After the criminal accusation, they also run gambling businesses as a new source of income.[9][10]
In August 2022, the Myanmar military junta conducted massive sweeps targeting hundreds of internet fraud companies in Myawaddy, forcing these companies to relocate to Yangon.[11] Subsequently, the junta's Border Guard Force stronghold was attacked by militants from Karen National Union (KNU) and its affiliates. KNU is an ethnic armed organization that controls parts of Kayin State. Many KK Park scam operations were suspended during the attack.
On 7 June 2023, Thai authorities announced that they have stopped power supply to KK Park and Shwe Kokko because the Myanmar military junta did not renew the power supply contract.[12]
On 20 October 2025, Myanmar state media Myanmar Alin reports that the Tatmadaw conducted a major raid on KK Park, detaining over 2,000 people and seizing over 30 Starlink terminals. Major General Zaw Min Tun, who serves as the deputy minister of information and head of the True News Information Team, alleged that leaders of the Karen National Union, who oppose Tatmadaw rule, are involved in KK Park's cybercrime operations.[13][14]
Activities
[edit]The KK Park project is said to be jointly established by the KNU and Chinese companies affiliated with triad leader Wan Kuok-koi, with its name even derived from his initials.[15] The KNU has been under pressure over its alleged involvement in KK Park and other illegal activities, and has faced demands for the resignation of some of its senior members.[6][failed verification] Former workers identified soldiers of the Myanmar Border Guard Forces as being present in the complex.[15]
Workers from across Southeast Asia have been coerced into performing online scams, including cryptocurrency investment and online casino scams, and enduring torture and unlawful imprisonment and threat of their body being harvested.[1][5][16][17][18][19][20] A 2024 investigation by German state-owned broadcaster Deutsche Welle found that workers at KK Park are subjected to 17-hour workdays and are frequently spied on, tortured, and threatened with murder when attempting to flee the compound.[15][21] Passports and mobile phones of workers were confiscated to prevent unmonitored communication with the outside world. The complex includes supermarkets, hospital, restaurants and hotels to form a closed community.[citation needed] Illegal organ harvesting was also reported to take place inside KK Park.[6] KK Park victims could only leave by paying a "contract termination" fee which is calculated by the inflated cost of transportation and how much money the victims earned for the scam companies. Victims often had to borrow from family members and friends to pay this fee.[6]
A representative of the USIP stated that there are at least 20,000 scam workers in KK Park and a similar park in Shwe Kokko as of July 2023.[5]
The KNU denied participation by KNU leaders, condemned the acts and said it would investigate the matter.[22][6] The area where KK Park was built on is a focus region for Chinese government's Belt and Road Initiative, though the Chinese government later distanced itself from the complex following widespread fraud.[15]
A February 2025 Wired report identified KK Park as active and noted that Starlink now played a key role in providing internet connectivity.[23]
Reactions
[edit]International communities
[edit]- 👁 ASEAN
👁 United Nations
👁 China
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and China have committed to combat organized crime's illegal casino operations, human trafficking and fraud activities through increasing preventive measures, victim identification and protection, and improving criminal investigation and judicial coordination.[24] - 👁 India
India: In 2023, the Indian embassy in Yangon requested Myanmar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs for assistance in rescuing and repatriating Indian nationals who were trafficked into KK Park.[6] The Ministry of External Affairs tracked and identified fake job recruitment agents within India.[25] - 👁 Taiwan
Taiwan: The government dispatched the Aviation Police Bureau to intercept and actively dissuade job seekers at check-in desks who were travelling to Myanmar.[26] In August 2022, police detained three individuals on arrest warrants at Taoyuan International Airport upon their return to Taiwan. Some of these individuals were believed to be core members in the human smuggling group.[27] - 👁 Thailand
Thailand: The government terminated power supply to KK Park and Shwe Kokko area to dampen the criminal activities in this region.[12] - 👁 United States
United States: The government released a general report about the country's human trafficking and internet scam issues, criticising the junta for negligible efforts in victim protection and prevention, despite stricter anti-trafficking laws and noting that law enforcement and prosecution efforts declined in areas controlled by ethnic armed groups.[28]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "Karen National Union Under Pressure Over Crime Hub". Irrawaddy. 28 February 2023. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- ^ "FinCEN Issues Alert on Prevalent Virtual Currency Investment Scam Commonly Known as 'Pig Butchering'". www.fincen.gov. Archived from the original on 3 November 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
- ^ "KK园区:缅甸臭名昭著的网络诈骗中心被军政府攻占,背后涉华人黑帮". BBC News 中文 (in Simplified Chinese). 21 October 2025. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
- ^ "Cyber scams: Notorious hub linked to Chinese mafia raided in Myanmar".
- ^ a b c McCready, Alastair (22 July 2023). "Inside the Chinese-run crime hubs of Myanmar that are conning the world: 'we can kill you here'". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f McCready, Alastair; Mendelson, Allegra (22 July 2023). "Survivors of Myanmar's Scam Mills Talk 'Torture,' Death, Organ Harvesting—and the Battle To Escape". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
- ^ "Thousands trapped in Myanmar's cyber slavery racket | DW News". YouTube. 30 January 2024.
- ^ "How did DW find out about the KK Park scam factory? – DW – 01/30/2024". dw.com. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
- ^ "'They fall in love with me': Inside the fraud factories driving the online scam boom". Sky News. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
- ^ "Myanmar's Shwe Kokko: Inside a city 'built on scams'". www.bbc.com. 6 February 2025. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
- ^ "獨家/緬甸人蛇轉據點 「新KK園區」2.0影片曝地點". 三立新闻网. Archived from the original on 26 August 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
- ^ a b "中资缅甸KK园区遭泰国断电". RFI - Radio France Internationale (in Simplified Chinese). 7 June 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
- ^ Peck, Grant (20 October 2025). "Myanmar military raids major cybercrime center, detains over 2,000 people". AP. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
- ^ "Myanmar junta says seized 30 Starlink receivers in scam centre raid". AFP via DW. 20 October 2025. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
- ^ a b c d "How Chinese mafia run a scam factory in Myanmar – DW – 01/30/2024". dw.com. Archived from the original on 1 March 2024. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
- ^ Huang, Xiaoshan (9 May 2023). "Plea for help from telephone scam victims falls on deaf ears among Chinese officials". Radio Free Asia. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- ^ "Malaysian job scam victim tells of 'prison', beatings in Myanmar". The Straits Times. 18 May 2022. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
- ^ "6 Filipinos rescued from human trafficking syndicates in Myanmar". CNN Philippines. 16 May 2023. Archived from the original on 20 May 2023. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- ^ Lam, Eunice (29 August 2022). "HK victim tells of misery in Myanmar hellholes". The Standard. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- ^ Wong, Tesse (21 September 2022). "Cambodia scams: Lured and trapped into slavery in South East Asia". BBC. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- ^ "Surrounded by Fighting, a Myanmar Crime Hub Is Oddly Unscathed". The Irrawaddy. 14 March 2024. Archived from the original on 14 March 2024. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
- ^ McCready, Alastair; Mendelson, Allegra (22 July 2023). "Exclusive: Inside the Chinese-Run Crime Hubs of Myanmar that Are Conning the World: 'We Can Kill You Here'". Pulitzer Center. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
- ^ BURGESS, MATT. "Elon Musk's Starlink Is Keeping Modern Slavery Compounds Online". wired.com. Wired. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
- ^ "联合国携手东盟中国 打击"卖猪仔" | 国际". Malaysia Oriental Daily (in Simplified Chinese). 27 September 2023. Archived from the original on 12 January 2024. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
- ^ Meenakshi, Anjana (31 August 2024). Shaji, Sukanya (ed.). "Indian nationals trapped in Myanmar's cyber scam parks await rescue". The News Minute. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
- ^ "航警苦勸無效!3男1女堅持飛柬埔寨:有壞人就跟他拚了". SET News (in Traditional Chinese). 21 August 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2025 – via Yahoo News Taiwan.
- ^ 羅曉彬, 黃偉鴻 (28 August 2022). "16台灣人從緬甸KK園區返台 包括疑詐騙集團幹部". TDM (in Traditional Chinese). Retrieved 30 April 2025.
- ^ "2024 Trafficking in Persons Report: Burma". United States Department of State. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
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