Myanmar junta raids scam center, seizes Starlink receivers
A crackdown by Thai, Chinese and Myanmar authorities starting in February saw thousands of suspected scammers repatriated.
A crackdown by Thai, Chinese and Myanmar authorities starting in February saw thousands of suspected scammers repatriated.
YANGON (AFP) — Myanmar’s junta raided one of the country’s most notorious cyberscam centers and seized Starlink satellite internet devices, it said Monday, after an Agence France-Presse (AFP) investigation revealed an explosion in their use in the multibillion-dollar illicit industry.
Internet sweatshops where workers scam unsuspecting foreigners with business or romance schemes have thrived in war-ravaged Myanmar’s lawless border regions since the coronavirus pandemic shut down casinos operating in the area.
A crackdown by Thai, Chinese and Myanmar authorities starting in February saw thousands of suspected scammers repatriated, with experts saying some in the scam industry participate willingly while others are forced to by organized criminal groups.
But an AFP investigation this month revealed rapid new construction at scam center sites and devices using Elon Musk-owned satellite internet service Starlink being installed on their roofs.
State media The Global New Light of Myanmar said the military “conducted operations in KK Park near Myanmar-Thai border” and had “seized 30 sets of Starlink receivers and accessories.”
That number is only a fraction of the Starlink devices AFP identified using satellite imagery and drone photography. On the roof of one building alone in KK Park, images showed nearly 80 of the internet dishes.
Starlink, which is not licensed in Myanmar, did not have enough traffic to make it onto the list of the country’s internet providers before the sweeping February crackdown.
But it topped the ranking every day from 3 July until 1 October, according to data from the Asian regional internet registry, APNIC.
The United States Congress Joint Economic Committee told AFP they have begun an investigation into Starlink’s involvement with the centers. While it can call Musk to a hearing, it cannot compel him to testify.
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