Myanmar's military said Wednesday it raided an internet scam hub on the Thai border, arresting nearly 350 people, part of a highly publicized crackdown against the booming black market compounds.
Sprawling fraud factories have ballooned in war-torn Myanmar's border regions, housing scammers targeting internet users with romance and business cons worth tens of billions of dollars annually.
Myanmar's junta has long been accused of turning a blind eye but has trumpeted a crackdown since February after being lobbied by key military backer China, experts say.
Additional raids beginning last month were part of a propaganda effort, according to some monitors, choreographed to vent pressure from Beijing without too badly denting profits that enrich the junta's militia allies.
Myanmar's military descended on gambling and fraud hub Shwe Kokko on Nov. 18 morning, according to state media The Global New Light of Myanmar.
"During the operation, 346 foreign nationals currently under scrutiny were arrested," it said.
"Nearly ten thousand mobile phones used in online gambling operations were also seized."
Since a 2021 coup sparked a civil war, Myanmar's loosely governed borderlands have proven fertile ground for scam hubs which analysts say are staffed by thousands of willing workers as well as people trafficked from abroad.
