Call centre buildings in the notorious Shwe Kokko “scam city” in Myawaddy Township, Myanmar. Cropped from a photo by Angshuman Choudhury, 9 Nov. 2022. (Creative Commons license.)
Inside Myanmar’s Cyber-Scam Compounds
For two years, journalist “Ying” examined the realities of young Vietnamese working inside Myanmar’s cyber-scam compounds. In a new article in Mekong Review, she shows how people seeking better futures often find themselves caught in cycles of fear, violence, and impossible choices.
These are not faceless criminals. Some enter the business knowing what they are getting into. Many others are trapped, trafficked, and forced to scam strangers online. Ying’s reporting shows how exploitation blurs the line between victim and perpetrator. This is a world where survival often comes at the cost of betraying others.
At The SecDev Foundation, we’ve been pleased to support Ying in this work. She is also contributing to an upcoming report on scam compound recruitment. That’s part of our continuing research on the cyber-scam industry in partnership with Knowledge For Democracy Myanmar (K4DM).
👉 Read the full story: Between Survival and Betrayal (Mekong Review)
