Satellite internet crackdown exposes a web of human trafficking and online fraud in Myanmar

A major enforcement action has ripped the lid off one of Southeast Asia’s most notorious online fraud operations. On October 20, 2025, Myanmar’s military carried out a raid on a sprawling scam compound at KK Park near Myawaddy in Kayin State, detaining approximately 2,198 individuals and seizing internet equipment, including dozens of satellite terminals.

 

Among the equipment found were more than 2,500 satellite internet kits operated by Starlink, a subsidiary of SpaceX, which the company says were “proactively identified and disabled” after being used to power scam-centres in the region.

These compounds lured foreign labourers under bogus job offers, covertly incarcerating them and forcing them into romance and investment fraud rings.

 

The use of satellite terminals is particularly troubling: Starlink services are not licensed in Myanmar, yet the terminals were smuggled in, enabling operators to bypass local internet shutdowns and maintain connectivity for illicit operations. 

This latest crackdown signals intensified international pressure on cross-border scam networks and satellite internet misuse.

 

SpaceX’s disabling of the terminals raises questions about remote enforcement of acceptable-use policies and the responsibility of global infrastructure providers in policing misuse.

 

It represents a convergence of cyber-crime, human trafficking and satellite communications abuse, highlighting how online fraud has evolved into a sophisticated, multi-layered enterprise operating across jurisdictions.