The Destruction of a Notorious Myanmar Scam Compound Appears to Have Been ‘Performative’
.png?w=780&resize=780,470&ssl=1 "The Destruction of a Notorious Myanmar Scam Compound Appears to Have Been ‘Performative’")
After the Myanmar Army The military junta attacked a notorious scam complex and destroyed buildings with explosives in October, with officials claiming the country would completely “eradicate” forced scams within its borders. Newly released satellite images of the targeted KK Park scam center reveal that only buildings in a limited section of the complex were destroyed in the initial raids. Scam experts, meanwhile, say the entire effort is likely “propaganda.”
High-resolution footage of the KK Park scam complex, located near the Myanmar-Thailand border, shows how military forces razed several buildings, leaving piles of rubble in their place. However, images show that destruction has so far been limited to the eastern side of the massive complex, with hundreds of buildings spread across the vast complex remaining intact.
Several experts told WIRED that the raids at KK Park and other scam resorts are likely part of a broader “performative” effort by Myanmar’s military government, which has come under increasing pressure to take on the highly lucrative scam resorts that have flourished in recent years. They also raise concerns about the welfare of thousands of people forced to commit scams at KK Park.
“The junta makes it look like they are destroying the entire complex, and the images we have seen so far are only limited to one part,” says Eric Heintz, a global analyst at the International Justice Mission, an anti-slavery organization. “It’s important to continue to monitor this to verify what they are actually doing and [see] if it’s just for show or if they’re actually tackling the real problem.
Satellite images, taken on November 16, appear to show that some buildings around the courtyards have been almost completely destroyed, with debris scattered around other buildings. Heintz says the images, as well as additional footage from social media, indicate that some “villas” and dormitories where trafficking victims may have been housed appear to have been damaged or destroyed. (Myanmar’s military government said further destruction began on November 17; third-party reports also suggest more buildings were destroyed).
“All the critical buildings you would need to carry out the scams are still intact and ready to use,” says Mechelle B Moore, CEO of Global Alms, a Thailand-based anti-trafficking nonprofit that works to help people trafficked into scam complexes in Myanmar. “They’re making a good show right now of saying they don’t support fraud schemes or human trafficking. But what they’ve allowed is all the scam syndicates – all the fraudulent bosses and supervisors – have been allowed to flee,” Moore claims.
Over the past decade, dozens of fraudulent networks have emerged in Southeast Asia, mainly in Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos. Often operated by or linked to Chinese organized crime groups, these complexes lure people into working there – often by offering them well-paid jobs – and then force them to commit a series of scams. Victims of trafficking often have their passports confiscated; they can be tortured or beaten if they refuse to scam. By stealing from people around the world, the complexes have made billions for organized crime groups.
Amid widespread crime, KK Park has become one of Myanmar’s largest and most notorious scam centers. Five years ago, the site was just a series of fields near the town of Myawaddy, but has since been transformed into a vast complex housing hundreds of buildings and thousands of people detained there.
