YANGON — Myanmar’s military announced that it arrested 1,590 foreign nationals in a five-day crackdown (Nov. 18–22) on an online fraud and gambling hub in Shwe Kokko, a border town near Thailand, according to the junta-run Global New Light of Myanmar.
Authorities additionally said they seized 2,893 computers, 21,750 mobile phones, 101 Starlink satellite receivers, 21 routers, and other industrial equipment tied to the scam operations.
The detained individuals reportedly came from a wide array of countries — including China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Ethiopia, Namibia, Indonesia, Uganda, India, Zimbabwe, the Philippines, Pakistan, Rwanda, Kenya, Nigeria, Nepal, South Korea, Egypt, and Madagascar.
Since the 2021 coup, Myanmar’s unstable border regions have become fertile ground for cyber-fraud “compounds,” where trafficked workers are allegedly forced into large-scale online scam operations. (Anadolu )