KK Park scam centre in Myanmar bombed by Myanmar forces on Sunday

Myanmar government troops and their renegade Karen forces blew up buildings in the KK Park scam centre in Myawaddy last night, according to security sources with Thailand’s Third Army Region.

They said that it was the fourth bombing of KK Park since Friday, adding that the multiple explosions did not affect Thai villagers who are living in Mae Ku sub-district, Mae Sot district of Tak province, about 500 metres away across the border.

Since government troops and their allies from the Karen Border Guard Force stormed KK Park last Friday, a total of 1,525 foreigners, who had been working in scam call centres in KK Park, have escaped into Thailand’s Mae Sot district.

Among the escapees are 1,275 men and 250 women. Among them are 482 from India, 193 from China, 220 from the Philippines, 135 from Vietnam, 133 from Ethiopia and 102 from Kenya.

All are being retained at holding centres for screening, to separate those who chose to work as scammers from those who were lured by attractive job offers and forced to work for the call centres.

Lt-Gen Worathep Boonya, commander of the Third Army Region, predicts that more foreign scammers are expected to flee to Mae Sot if Myanmar’s government launches attacks on other scam centres.

Drones, equipped with bombs, were used to attack KK Park, said the sources, adding that ground troops used explosives to blow up buildings yesterday.