KNU Forces Raid Myanmar-Thailand Border Scam Park, 87 Foreign Women Rescued

On November 23, 2025, the Karen National Union (KNU) launched a military operation against thealu (Minleban) Park, located approximately 16 kilometers south of Myawaddy city in Karen State, Myanmar. This marked one of the largest armed operations against telecommunications fraud hubs in Southeast Asia in recent years. According to the KNU statement, the operation successfully rescued 87 foreign women from eight countries including Ethiopia, Egypt, Thailand, Laos, Philippines, and Malaysia. The park covered an area with around twenty reinforced concrete buildings, including two four-story office buildings, one hospital building, and multiple residential structures. At its peak, the facility housed approximately 2,000 cyber fraud operators. KNU forces seized between 1,500 to 2,000 computers and approximately 10,000 mobile phones during the raid. Hostilities began on November 21 when fighting broke out between KNU forces and Myanmar military columns near Minleban village. Artillery shells and small arms fire landed inside Thai territory, prompting the Thai military to fire warning shots toward the Myanmar side. More than 300 local residents fled to the Thaunggin River area along the Thai-Myanmar border to escape the fighting. During the operation, at least 230 individuals previously involved in the fraud operations surrendered to KNU forces. Twenty-eight Thai nationals were handed over to Thai authorities for legal proceedings. The Thai military formally protested the shell fire that landed on Thai soil, demanding Myanmar ensure border security. The KNU is one of Myanmar's oldest ethnic armed organizations, maintaining independent military forces in Karen State for decades. This operation against the fraud park reflects the complex geopolitical landscape where multiple ethnic armed groups control border regions, creating an environment where telecom fraud operations have flourished. The final placement of the 87 rescued women has become a challenge involving cross-border judicial cooperation, identity verification, and repatriation procedures. Aid workers report that many victims suffered psychological trauma and had been detained for over a year, with limited skills and support systems for reintegration into their home countries.