BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — More than 600 people fled one of Myanmar’s most notorious scam centers and crossed into Thailand, a Thai provincial official told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Thursday, after a military raid on the compound.

Sprawling compounds where internet fraudsters target people with romance and business cons have thrived along Myanmar’s loosely governed border during its civil war, sparked by a 2021 coup.

A highly publicized crackdown starting in February saw around 7,000 workers repatriated and Thailand enact a cross-border internet blockade.

But an AFP investigation this month revealed construction has continued apace at several compounds, while Starlink internet service receivers have been installed en masse, seeming to connect the hubs to the Elon Musk-owned satellite network.

Sawanit Suriyakul Na Ayutthaya, deputy governor of Tak province on the Myanmar border, told AFP “677 people fled from the scam center,” known as KK Park, across the Moei river into Thailand as of Thursday morning. 

Another crowd of more than 100 people gathered on the Myanmar side of the main local border crossing to Thailand on Thursday morning, an AFP journalist saw, many carrying large suitcases and backpacks.

A driver in the area, speaking anonymously for security reasons, estimated 700 people had made illegal overnight crossings.

While some scam workers are clearly trafficked into often fortified compounds, experts say others go voluntarily with hopes of earning more in the multibillion-dollar illicit industry than they can at home.

Sawanit said immigration police and the military had “worked together to provide assistance under humanitarian procedures.”

Those who crossed “will undergo screening” to determine whether they have been victims of human trafficking or if they may be prosecuted for illegal border crossing, he said.

The Tak Provincial Administration office, which oversees the area, said in a statement that the group entering from Myanmar comprised “foreign nationals” — both men and women — and authorities expected more to cross into Thailand.

Indonesian state news agency Antara reported around 20 Indonesians had “successfully crossed into Thai territory via the Moei River” as of Wednesday evening, according to the Indonesian embassy in Yangon, which cited Thai authorities.

Experts say Myanmar’s military has long turned a blind eye to scam centers which profit its militia allies, crucial collaborators in their fight against rebels.

The junta has also faced pressure to shut down the scam operations from its military backer China, irked at the number of its citizens both participating in and being targeted by the scams.