MAE SOT, THAILAND – More than 1,000 people crossed into Thailand after a Myanmar military operation closed the notorious scam camp known as KK Park, Thai authorities said, triggering large-scale biometric screening and humanitarian assistance.
Mass arrival at Mae Sot
Thousands of people poured across the border into Mae Sot in Tak province from October 24 onwards, officials said, as checkpoints and screening stations were set up along the Moei River road. The Ratchamanu Task Force, the Mae Sot district administration, multiple police units and village defence volunteers established control points to process the arrivals.
Thai immigration officials said 399 of those who fled were Indian nationals and 147 were Chinese, with other nationalities including Vietnamese, Filipinos, Ethiopians, Pakistanis, Indonesians, Nepalis and 31 Thais among the evacuees. Authorities estimated the total had already topped 1,000.
Biometric checks in the field
Immigration and security forces used mobile biometric identification systems and patrol cars equipped with biometric scanners to register and screen the arrivals, said Police Lieutenant General Choengron Rimpadee, a spokesman for the immigration bureau. “The immigration authorities in Tak are working with the security forces to thoroughly check everyone,” he said.
Initial checks, officials said, painted an alarming picture: many of the Chinese nationals were aged between 20 and 45 and were without passports. Fingerprint and biometric comparisons flagged some individuals as having prior convictions in existing databases, prompting further investigation.
Humanitarian response and legal scrutiny
While security screenings continued, Thai authorities provided food, drinking water and medical care to all evacuees. Officials said they were working to distinguish those who had been trafficked or coerced into criminal activity from those who had willingly participated in fraud operations.
The immigration office said it was also reviewing international arrest warrants and other legal instruments that might apply to some of the arrivals as part of efforts to determine who should be repatriated, prosecuted or offered protection as victims of trafficking.
Myanmar raid and regional context
Myanmar’s military had announced the complete closure of KK Park, saying it detained more than 2,000 people and seized dozens of Starlink satellite internet terminals. Such camps along the Myanmar–Thailand border have been accused of luring workers under false pretences and forcing many to work in large-scale online fraud operations under harsh conditions.
The scandal has attracted international attention. Last week the United States and the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on organisers of a major Cambodian-based cyber fraud network, and a suspected ringleader was indicted in a federal court in New York.
What comes next
Thai officials acknowledged the challenge ahead: balancing humanitarian obligations with security needs and legal responsibilities. They said sorting genuine victims of trafficking from alleged criminal actors would be a complex, resource-intensive process that would involve biometric checks, international cooperation and careful legal review.
Authorities in Mae Sot said processing and investigations would continue in the coming days as they worked to manage the influx and determine the next steps for the evacuees.