Myanmar junta says over 300 arrested as part of crackdown on scam centre

Myanmar's military said on Nov 19 it raided an internet scam hub on the Thai border, arresting nearly 350 people, part of a highly publicised crackdown against the booming black market compounds.

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Sprawling fraud factories have ballooned in war-torn Myanmar's border regions, housing scammers targeting internet users with romance and business cons worth tens of billions of dollars annually.

Myanmar's junta has long been accused of turning a blind eye but has trumpeted a crackdown since February after being lobbied by key military backer China, experts say.

Additional raids beginning in October were part of a propaganda effort, according to some monitors, choreographed to vent pressure from Beijing without too badly denting profits that enrich the junta's militia allies.

Myanmar's military descended on gambling and fraud hub Shwe Kokko on the morning of Nov 18, according to state media The Global New Light of Myanmar.