Atrocities of Myanmar's Criminal Compounds
Overview
"Atrocities of Myanmar's Criminal Compounds" is a term collectively referring to human rights abuses such as confinement, forced labor, torture, and sexual exploitation perpetrated in the so-called "scam compounds" concentrated in the Myawaddy (묘와디) area of Karen State and the Laukkai (라우카이) area of Shan State, along Myanmar's eastern border. In the 2020s, as Chinese capital combined with local armed groups to build large-scale online fraud industrial complexes, cases in which laborers lured from around the world were effectively placed in a state of slavery surged. Many of the victims are nationals of various Asian countries, including South Korea, and while the international community has begun to respond jointly, it is expected to take considerable time to eradicate the practice.
Main Content
Background of Formation
The origins of Myanmar's scam compounds trace back to the online gambling and fraud compounds established in the Sihanoukville area of Cambodia in the late 2010s. When the Cambodian government strengthened crackdowns in 2019 under pressure from China, criminal organizations moved their bases to eastern Myanmar, where border controls were lax. The decisive turning point was the February 2021 military coup in Myanmar. As the central government's control rapidly weakened, armed groups in the border regions formed de facto extraterritorial zones, and they received enormous funds in exchange for providing land, security, and labor supply networks to criminal organizations. The explosion of remote crime during the COVID-19 pandemic also accelerated the expansion of the compounds.
Organizational Structure and Operating Methods
The compounds are typically divided into zones of hundreds to thousands of people, with Chinese financiers and local armed group leaders at the top. Below them are team leaders, guards, interpreters, and recruitment personnel. Victims are treated as "company assets" with a ransom price attached, and so-called "human trafficking"—reselling them to other compounds when their performance is poor—occurs routinely. The compounds are equipped with dormitories, cafeterias, hospitals, and even private detention facilities, forming a self-sufficient closed society. Employment typically begins with a false job advertisement. They lure people to Bangkok, Thailand or Yangon, Myanmar by offering monthly salaries of millions of won, room and board, and airfare support, then confine them after taking them across the border.
Types of Atrocities
The most commonly reported are deprivation of liberty and confinement. Passports and mobile phones are confiscated, and armed guards are stationed on the compounds' periphery to completely block escape. When performance shortfalls or escape attempts are discovered, physical torture such as beatings, electric shocks, nail pulling, waterboarding, and being made to stand against a wall for long hours is inflicted. Female victims are exposed to sexual violence and sexual exploitation, and many testimonies have emerged that those confirmed to be pregnant are forced to undergo abortions. In some compounds, atrocities have been confirmed in which victims' organs were extracted and sold on the black market, or their blood was sold through repeated blood draws. Cases of minors being forcibly conscripted have also been reported, and suicide attempts due to psychological trauma are ceaseless.
The Reality of Victims
Victims are diverse, including those from China, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and South Korea. Dozens or more South Korean victims have also been identified, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Korean National Police Agency have been working since 2023 to assess the situation and to rescue and repatriate them. Victims who succeed in escaping generally use the route of crossing the Thai border and reporting to local authorities. However, because many give up on reporting due to language barriers, illegal immigration status, and threats to their safety, the actual scale of victimization is estimated to far exceed official statistics.
International Response
The U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions against armed groups and companies linked to the operation of the compounds, and the United Kingdom and the European Union followed with individual sanctions. Thailand implemented measures to cut off the supply of electricity, internet, and fuel to the border areas where the compounds are located. Chinese public security authorities conducted crackdowns to repatriate their nationals who were victims and to wipe out the organizations, while South Korea is operating channels for cooperation with Interpol and judicial cooperation with Southeast Asian countries. However, it is pointed out as a limitation that, because the areas where the compounds are located lie outside the effective control of the central government, investigations and enforcement are structurally constrained.
Latest Trends
From 2024 to 2025, Myanmar's military government and the Border Guard Force (BGF) conducted large-scale crackdowns on compounds in the Laukkai area and took measures to deport thousands of foreigners. Thailand, China, and Myanmar are operating a joint consultative body for crackdowns and victim repatriation, strengthening cooperation. However, each time a crackdown occurs, the organizations repeatedly disperse and relocate to Laos, Cambodia, and the Golden Triangle region—a "balloon effect." Recently, new methods using virtual assets as a medium for investment fraud and deepfake voice and video technology are spreading, and the scale of damage is on an increasing trend. In South Korea, along with government and police alerts to prevent job fraud, demands are growing to strengthen verification of overseas employment placement agencies. International human rights organizations continue to urge protection of victims, guarantees of their legal status, and expanded financial sanctions on the funding lines behind the compounds.
Related Topics
- [[Human Trafficking]]
- [[Online Fraud]]
- [[Myanmar Civil War]]
- [[International Human Rights]]
- [[Southeast Asian Border Crime]]