FiscalFusion

Myanmar’s military government has begun broadcasting lengthy state-TV videos of its crackdown on online scam centers, showing buildings being bulldozed and more than 1,000 foreigners detained; the country is notorious for cyberscam operations involving romance-based schemes and fake investments that the U.N.

Office on Drugs and Crime estimates generate nearly $40 billion a year, and the unusually detailed MRTV reports appear aimed at publicizing the junta’s actions after months of negative publicity and international pressure since it seized power in 2021, with authorities recently raiding major scam hubs KK Park and Shwe Kokko near Myawaddy on the Thai border, the latest operation starting Nov.

18 in Shwe Kokko leading to 1,746 foreigners arrested in six days and, according to Monday’s state-run reports, a total of 12,586 foreigners detained since January and 9,978 deported through Thailand, including some who say they were tricked or forced to work there; authorities say they seized 2,893 computers, 21,750 phones, 101 Starlink devices, 21 routers and other equipment, while MRTV has shown daily videos of security forces sweeping buildings and detainees squatting in lines, plus footage of KK Park’s structures being blown up and bulldozed, though critics argue scam masterminds continue operating elsewhere; the crackdown comes amid complex control in Myawaddy involving ethnic Karen militias such as the military-allied Border Guard Force and the anti-junta Karen National Union, with both denying involvement despite accusations of past protection or real-estate links to the scam centers..