Recent reports from Myanmar media reveal that about 50,000 Burmese people in the Muse area of Shan State are involved in online fraud and money laundering activities, with the scale of operations being shockingly large. The report points out that these illegal activities are mainly concentrated in areas controlled by the military government, and the involvement of foreign nationals, particularly Chinese citizens, has raised concerns as they frequently appear in various scam gangs.
A victim who successfully escaped shared with the media the internal scene of the park, stating that he had participated in a telecom fraud project in Muse, during which he witnessed many people being subjected to violent threats, physical punishment, and even imprisonment. It was the direct experience of oppression and fear that prompted him to risk escaping, also exposing the long-term violent control mechanism behind the local scam system. Victims are not only restricted in their freedom but also face threats to both their physical and mental health.
Despite the Myanmar military's claims of strengthening governance, scamming and cross-border money laundering activities around Muse continue unabated, showing that the related crimes are highly organized and have formed an industrial chain. Over the past few years, multinational law enforcement forces have joined forces to carry out cross-border crackdowns, but the military government's areas remain "law enforcement blind spots," making it difficult to penetrate deeply.
Analysts believe that Muse, being adjacent to Yunnan, China, and in a geographically sensitive location, protected by grey forces, has long evolved into a regional hub for scams. For foreign nationals stranded there, once involved in illegal activities, they face severe legal consequences and the risk of deportation.
