YANGON: SpaceX has disabled more than 2,500 Starlink devices at suspected scam centres in Myanmar.
A company executive confirmed the action after an AFP investigation revealed widespread use of the satellite internet service in the illicit industry.
Sprawling compounds housing internet scammers have flourished along Myanmar’s loosely-governed border during its civil war.
These centres use romance and business cons to target foreigners online.
A highly-publicised crackdown beginning in February led to the repatriation of around 7,000 workers and a Thai cross-border internet blockade.
An AFP investigation this month found construction has continued rapidly at these sites.
Starlink receivers were installed en masse, appearing to connect the hubs to Elon Musk’s satellite network.
SpaceX Vice-President of Starlink Business Operations Lauren Dreyer said the company disabled over 2,500 Starlink Kits near suspected scam centres.
Her social media post did not specify when the terminals were disconnected.
Myanmar’s military announced this week it raided KK Park, one of the country’s most notorious scam centres.
Soldiers seized 30 Starlink satellite internet terminals during the operation.
This represents only a tiny fraction of the terminals used at the site according to AFP’s investigation and independent analysis.
An AFP journalist observed more than 1,000 people leaving the site on Wednesday.
People travelled on foot, by motorbike, and crammed into pickup trucks.
One departing KK Park worker told AFP the crackdown was ongoing.
He said Myanmar military soldiers arrived at their site around 10:00 am in four trucks.
The worker declined to give his name for security reasons.
Scam centres have become a key component of Myanmar’s wartime economy.
The military has been fighting various rebel groups since seizing power in a 2021 coup.
Beijing led a pressure campaign in February to curb the booming black market.
Chinese authorities were frustrated that Chinese citizens were leading scams, being trafficked into the hubs, and being defrauded by them.
The junta relies on military backing from China to maintain its grip on power.
Analysts say the military also depends on powerful militias controlling border regions.
These militias profit from the scam centres in return for their services.
Nathan Ruser, an analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said the junta needs to enrich those militias.
He noted they also face pressure from China to take action against the centres.
Ruser described the situation as a balancing act for the military government.
He said the junta takes tokenistic action while actually not doing anything substantial. – AFP
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