KK Park | |
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Fraud factory and human trafficking hub | |
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Coordinates | 16°38′51.2″N 98°31′14.6″E / 16.647556°N 98.520722°E |
Location | Myawaddy, Kayin State, Myanmar |
KK Park (Chinese: KK園區) is a fraud factory located in Myawaddy, Myanmar. Located next to the Moei River on the Myanmar–Thailand border, the complex is a major hub of Internet fraud and human trafficking within the larger Golden Triangle region.[1]
Workers from across Southeast Asia have been coerced into performing online scams, including cryptocurrency investment, and enduring torture and unlawful imprisonment.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] A 2024 investigation by German state-owned broadcaster Deutsche Welle found that workers at KK Park are subjected to 17-hour workdays and are frequently spied on, tortured, and threatened with murder when attempting to flee the compound.[8][9]
A representative of the USIP stated that there are at least 20,000 scam workers in KK Park and a similar park in Shwe Kokko as of July 2023.[2]
The complex was constructed between 2019 and 2021, with additional construction ongoing as of 2023.[2]
The project is said to be jointly established by the Karen National Union (KNU), an ethnic armed organization that controls parts of Kayin State, and Chinese companies affiliated with triad leader Wan Kuok-koi.[8] The KNU has been under pressure over its alleged involvement in KK Park and other illegal activities, and has faced demands for the resignation of some of its senior members.[10] Former workers identified soldiers of the Myanmar Border Guard Forces as being present in the complex.[8]
The KNU has announced that it will investigate five of its members accused of having connections with KK Park, and that it will cooperate with China and Thailand to rid the border area of crime.[11][10]