Scam Compounds in Shwe Kokko, Myanmar Demolished but Reopening: Old Sites Resume Operations, New Buildings Keep Going Up, Telegram Recruitment Continues
4 weeks ago
Scam Compounds in Shwe Kokko, Myanmar Demolished but Reopening: Old Sites Resume Operations, New Buildings Keep Going Up, Telegram Recruitment Continues On September 23, scam compounds in Shwe Kokko (Water Gully), north of Myawaddy in Myanmar's Kayin State, became active once again. Old bases have resumed operations, new buildings keep appearing on the outskirts, and recruitment posts on Telegram continue to increase. Since the start of this year, new scam compounds have been appearing one after another in Shwe Kokko's urban area, Myawaddy's Zone 2 and Zone 4, and surrounding areas. Some gangs have returned to old sites to rebuild their teams, while others have moved to newly built structures to continue operating. Areas on the outskirts of Shwe Kokko that previously had few buildings are now densely built up, with some structures extending onto hillsides and into valleys. As scam compounds multiply, surrounding shops and support services have grown along with them. Multiple scam gangs are recruiting through Telegram, mainly seeking people to carry out online fraud targeting users in Europe and the United States. Some positions offer monthly salaries of 20,000 to 30,000 Thai baht, along with overtime pay and other bonuses. Myanmar's military has announced that a total of 77 buildings linked to online fraud and illegal gambling in Shwe Kokko were demolished. The demolition operation ran from May 25 to July 26, during which 2,075 foreigners who had entered the country illegally were detained. Scam activity in Shwe Kokko did not stop with the demolition operation. Some gangs have returned to old sites, while others have moved to newly built structures on the outskirts, continuing to recruit scammers, translators, cooks, cleaners, and security guards. After verifying the demolition operation, "Myanmar Witness" found discrepancies between some of the building photos and videos released by officials and the actual locations, with some images showing signs of AI editing. Shwe Kokko is controlled by the Karen National Army (KNA), formerly the Karen Border Guard Force (BGF), led by Saw Chit Thu. The U.S. Department of the Treasury has sanctioned the KNA, Saw Chit Thu, and his two sons, accusing them of facilitating online fraud, human trafficking, and cross-border smuggling. After multiple rounds of demolition, scam compounds in Shwe Kokko continue to recover: old sites have resumed operations, and new compounds on the outskirts keep multiplying.
Looking at the demolition timeline and the number of buildings mentioned in the article, it feels like tearing down structures alone can hardly solve the problem. From May to July, 77 buildings were demolished and over two thousand people were brought under control, yet by September the old stronghold was back in operation, and new buildings are still popping up in the hills and valleys. This shows the organizational capacity and funding behind it were never really cut off. As long as the KNA controls that area and can still openly recruit on Telegram, the demolitions look more like surface-level gestures—relocating or rebuilding elsewhere after a while costs far too little.