In a significant development, over 1,000 individuals, predominantly Chinese nationals, have fled from Myanmar into Thailand this week following a military raid on one of Myanmar’s largest cyber scam centers. The sprawling scam hubs, which have thrived in Myanmar’s loosely governed border regions amid the country’s prolonged civil war, are notorious for orchestrating online fraud schemes targeting victims globally. Thai authorities reported that the influx of people crossing into Mae Sot district, Tak province, began on Wednesday and continued through Friday morning. Among those fleeing were nationals from India, Pakistan, Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand, and over a dozen other countries. While some individuals are believed to have been trafficked into these fortified compounds, others reportedly joined voluntarily, lured by the promise of higher earnings in the multibillion-dollar illicit industry. Thai officials have initiated screening processes to identify potential human trafficking victims, with those found crossing illegally facing prosecution. The Myanmar junta confirmed the raid on KK Park, a major scam center located near the Thai border, and seized Starlink satellite internet devices used in the operations. SpaceX, the operator of Starlink, disclosed that it had disabled over 2,500 devices at Myanmar’s scam hubs. Analysts suggest that the military crackdown may be a superficial effort to appease China, a key backer of the junta, without significantly disrupting the lucrative scam operations.