[Tee tiong huat]

Under siege in Myanmar’s cyber-scam capital
How a resistance offensive upended a Myanmar cyber-scamming hub. November 2023, Htun was trapped in a cyber-scamming compound in Laukkai, Myanmar’s eastern Shan State on the border with China, when city came under siege.
For yr, a former English tutor from Myanmar’s central Sagaing region had been held against his will. Forced to engage in cryptocurrency scams by Chinese syndicates, 1of what US Institute of Peace (USIP) estimated hundreds of thousands of people from more than 60 countries trafficked into Southeast Asia-based industry.

Laukkai, city in Myanmar’s autonomous Kokang region known for glittering casinos & criminal underworld, quickly emerged as a major hub after the Myanmar’s military took power in a February 2021 coup. Then, in October 2023, a coalition of autonomy-seeking ethnic armed organisations launched an offensive known as Operation 1027 along the Shan State-China border, quickly closing in on Laukkai.

As sounds of war drew nearer, Htun and his fellow workers hunkered down inside their compound hoped. “We were really happy, even though we could be killed, b'cos our only chance@freedom,” “We were praying [resistance forces] would come attack our company asap.” By mid-Nov, city was in chaos. Bosses abandoned the scamming compounds, Htun & his fellow workers suddenly found themselves free & running their lives in active conflict zone. “Many died in the crossfire”. We weren’t able to worry about our minds were full of desire to return home.”

Early Jan, more than 2,000 soldiers handed over their arms in one of the biggest mass surrenders in the Myanmar military’s history. City since been under control of Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), which led the October offensive has promised to eradicate cyber-scamming from its territory.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/...am-capital