SpaceX has terminated service to over 2,500 Starlink devices at fraudulent centres in Myanmar, according to a company vice-president on Wednesday, following an AFP report indicating a surge in the use of satellite internet terminals within the criminal sector.
Simultaneously, an AFP correspondent observed hundreds of individuals escaping from one of Myanmar’s most extensive fraud operations, KK Park, adjacent to Thailand, as the enforcement action against the centre persisted.
This month’s AFP investigation uncovered a construction surge at Myanmar’s fraud centres, especially in the Myawaddy border region, despite a well-reported first crackdown earlier this year.
Numerous locations appeared to have installed a significant number of Starlink internet receivers on their rooftops after the disruption of internet and power services by neighboring Thailand.
Lauren Dreyer, Vice President of Starlink Business Operations at SpaceX, stated on X that the company proactively identified and disabled more than 2,500 Starlink Kits near potential ‘scam centres’ in Myanmar.
This week, Myanmar’s military declared that it had conducted a raid on KK Park, confiscating 30 Starlink terminals, a small portion of those utilised at the location.
On Wednesday, an AFP correspondent observed around 1,000 individuals leaving the site on foot, via motorbike, and in packed pickup trucks, with one worker from KK Park indicating that the crackdown was still in progress.
