Nearly 1,700 people from 21 countries have fled KK Park, a notorious scam centre in Myawaddy township in Myanmar, and crossed the border into Tak province over the past two days, Thai authorities said on Friday.
The exodus across the Moei River into Thailand follows a raid by the Myanmar military on KK Park. A further 2,000 foreigners were expected to cross into Thailand on Friday.
The operation, labelled by some observers as an attempt by the Myanmar military to appease China ahead of the upcoming Asean Summit, led to reports of explosions and fires in parts of KK Park.
The Karen Border Guard Force (BGF), which controls the area, reportedly destroyed several buildings at KK Park at the request of the Myanmar military, with observers saying this was most likely done in an attempt to produce ‘cleanup’ footage for state media.
Images from Mae Sot district in Tak showed groups of people swimming across the Moei River to flee Myanmar.
One Chinese man was reportedly swept away by strong currents and remains missing. Some escapees also said their friends drowned while crossing the river.
The official count as of Friday morning showed that 1,667 people had crossed into Thailand. They included Thai, Chinese, Indian, Nepalese, Kenyan, Vietnamese, Sri Lankan, Ethiopian, Bangladeshi, Filipino and Pakistani nationals.
Thai security forces have detained 197 individuals, including Thais and others, for screening.
A Thai woman who escaped KK Park described being lured by false job promises.
‘They said it was a high-paying job with days off,’ she recalled. ‘But once inside, I was forced to scam foreigners or face punishment – no food, no sunlight, even beatings.’
Other victims said they were coerced into online romance and investment scams targeting victims in Africa, Dubai and Canada, using AI-generated fake profiles.
Those who failed to meet quotas were punished or transferred elsewhere.
In Thailand, the border command centre in Tak has set up a special task force to manage the influx, coordinate aid and identify victims of human trafficking.