Recently, the Burmese military claimed to have cleared out the telecommunications scam base KK Park with drones and explosives, destroying some buildings and sparking international attention. Survivors interviewed revealed the inhuman violence and surveillance within the park, while civilian rescuers pointed out that the so-called “clearance” operation was just a facade to address public opinion. Behind the official crackdown, scam groups are transferring a large number of personnel and operations to more covert “black zones,” creating unprecedented challenges for humanitarian rescue efforts.
Survivor Mr. Li recalled his terrifying experience of being lured into the KK Park scam. He fell into a trap due to an advertisement promising “no education requirement, monthly salary of 8000 yuan.” As soon as he entered the park at the Burmese border, his passport was confiscated, leading to a hellish life thereafter.
Li was assigned to do European and American markets after receiving training. “You need to chat for a few months first. Build relationships, then slowly guide you to invest, in real estate, virtual currencies, etc. Everything there is profit-centered. Every day is endless typing on the keyboard, enduring endless beatings. If you don’t meet the performance targets, you get beaten. Many people are beaten to the point of being unable to speak, or even walk normally. Among those who returned with me, some limped, some were beaten to a swelling all over.”
He mentioned that there were canteens and dormitories in the park, seemingly providing free meals and housing, but all costs were actually accounted for by the individuals. The food was also poor, mostly boiled vegetables. The park even had its own “hospital,” but treatment costs had to be borne by the individuals.
“The working hours are extremely long, at least thirteen to fourteen hours a day, often exceeding sixteen hours, even eighteen hours. There is no fixed salary, completely relying on performance incentives. With each transaction, you can get an eight to ten percent commission. Many people have almost no income.”
There, new victims were seen being brought in every day. Many either ended up being maimed or disappeared. Some were resold, while others were thrown into the mountains…
“I was rescued by a rescue team in October. Being able to come back alive was extremely lucky. Among those who came back with me, some spent over a hundred thousand or even over four hundred thousand before being rescued. Many of those rescued were only able to contact the rescue team through specific information such as the park’s name, dormitory location, company name, or management code.”
He mentioned that the rescue team was a civilian organization with no official background. Very few people were able to be rescued by them. Many were either resold or abandoned due to lack of specific location information or reasons such as owing money to the company or expired passports, becoming permanently untraceable.
With reports of “park bombings” in northern Myanmar, international public opinion generally believed that the scam parks were being completely eradicated. However, local rescue personnel pointed out that the battle was far from over.
Liu Chao (pseudonym), a civilian rescue worker from the Yunnan border, revealed in an interview that the biggest challenge faced in rescue work is “too many false messages, too few true ones.”
“Many family members see reports online claiming that a certain park has been destroyed and people are being released, thinking their children can come out. But when we go to the scene, the people have already been moved away.” He said. There is a tight communication network and joint defense system among the parks, and if there is a leak, detainees will be moved to other areas or newly established “branch parks” within a few hours.
Even more challenging is that many family members do not believe initially that their child has fallen into a scam park, only realizing the seriousness of the situation after complete loss of contact. “They only worry when there’s no contact, but by then, the person has disappeared, and we cannot find them.” He said.
Rescue teams usually confirm the location through “latitude and longitude positioning” or photos provided by survivors within the park, but most of the time, this information is already outdated. “The park moves every day, like guerrilla warfare. Today in this valley, tomorrow it disappears.”
When all attention is focused on a particular park, other areas where parks are located (like Cambodia) are still secretly expanding.
He said that scam parks are often located in remote mountain valleys, making it difficult for rescue forces to track and combat. This situation is “never-ending and cannot be eliminated.”
Mr. Lei, a civilian rescue worker, stated that according to their information, many parks are relocating to areas with more hidden transportation to continue operations, some even renaming themselves as “resorts” or “technology parks.”
This “destroy and resurrect” phenomenon has trapped humanitarian rescue in an endless cycle: few people are rescued, while new parks continue to emerge. For many family members, waiting has become an agony—they hope their children will be rescued, yet fear receiving bad news in the next phone call.
“We cannot give up, even if it’s just getting people out, it’s a kind of hope.” He said.
Liu Chao also revealed the complex relationships and conflicting interests between the Burmese government army (Lao Mian) and local armed forces.
He mentioned that the Burmese army bombed the KK scam park due to overwhelming public pressure, with the ultimate goal being to unify and control the Maowa Di region through troop reinforcement.
Four major forces (such as KON, BGF, DKBA) control the scam parks. The complex relationship of interests between the Burmese government army and local armed forces has become the biggest obstacle to rescue efforts.
Independent armed groups like DKBA, through moving the parks into their territories, significantly increased their interests. They reached an agreement with Lao Mian, allowing them to collect a portion of the management fees and assist in guarding perimeter checkpoints.
In the complex and chaotic “black zones” in the area, rescue teams do not recommend direct “rescue,” but instead adopt a model of receiving “freelancers.”
He said that only a few can be redeemed by their families paying money, and most people are still being tormented within the parks. Those without performance are beaten, and they don’t even know where they are to contact the outside world. The northern Myanmar region is now almost entirely black, with harsh environments, park facilities mostly being metal tents, frequently relocating. The situation there is worse than outsiders imagine.
The conditions for rescue are also very strict now. To rescue someone, it must first be confirmed whether there is a passport, whether contact can still be made with people within the park. If there is clear contact, location, a passport, and family members are willing to sign a written agreement, the rescue will be initiated.
He mentioned that many family members did not take action promptly when they could still contact their children, only getting anxious when completely out of contact, but by then it is often too late. If specific location or latitude and longitude can be provided, then we can possibly take action; merely based on vague descriptions, people cannot be found. Especially in a certain area in northern Myanmar, where the mountainous terrain is complex, the environment is harsh, and rescue is extremely difficult, costly, with a success rate of only fifty to sixty percent.