Nearly 700 foreigners have fled Myanmar and crossed into Thailand following a military crackdown on KK Park, a Chinese-backed compound notorious for cybercrime operations, the Thai army said on Thursday.
According to a statement from the army, a total of 677 people, 618 men and 59 women, were detained after crossing the border into Tak province.
The group was taken into custody after Myanmar’s military seized control of KK Park and began inspecting the area, prompting a mass exodus across the border.
Thai authorities said the individuals are now undergoing legal processing and security screening. Additional detention facilities have been prepared in case existing spaces become overcrowded.
“All actions are in line with legal and humanitarian principles,” the army said, adding that it is working closely with local security agencies to maintain stability along the Thai-Myanmar border.
The army said most of those detained are citizens of India and China, while smaller numbers come from Vietnam, Pakistan, Indonesia, and several other countries.
KK Park, located in eastern Myanmar, has long been known among international law enforcement agencies for its involvement in large-scale online fraud and human trafficking.
The compound and neighboring facilities are believed to be operated by Chinese criminal syndicates and protected by local militias allied with Myanmar’s military.
Border regions across Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia have become key hubs for cyber scams since the COVID-19 pandemic, generating billions of dollars through forced labor in scam centers, according to the United Nations.
