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I don't think the nuance you believe exists actually exists. The scam centers at KK Park and Shwe Kokko employ forced laborers numbering in the thousands - the
by safety1st 1y ago
I don't think the nuance you believe exists actually exists.
The scam centers at KK Park and Shwe Kokko employ forced laborers numbering in the thousands - they literally kidnap people from neighboring countries, imprison them, confiscate their passports, and force them to conduct scam operations for 17 hours a day, torturing them if they fail to comply.
The KNU is undoubtedly in on this, allowing it to happen within their area of control and almost certainly profiting financially from it.
The stuff going on there is evil of the highest degree. It's evil on a level that many Hacker News users probably did not even realize exists in the world.
Starlink doesn't even offer service in Myanmar! The operators of the scam centers acquired the terminals through their criminal connections.
Yes the Tatmadaw is also evil. It doesn't really matter though. This is a pretty black and white scenario. What's going on is dark beyond belief and any action which curtails it is positive.
- dylan604 1y ago> Starlink doesn't even offer service in Myanmar! If this is the case, what is the justification for allowing them at all? If the receiver's location is not in an authorized service area, why allow it to connect? In fact, I'm surprised that's not automated. I can't access websites due to geofencing, yet Starlink can't figure out the location of the dish accessing their network? I'm not buying that at all.
- mschuster91 1y ago> If the receiver's location is not in an authorized service area, why allow it to connect? Money and other KPIs. Money is an obvious KPI - 2500 terminals at 100 $ a month each, 250k a month in income, nothing to sneeze at. The more important KPI however is satellite utilization. And it's not like either the legitimate Myanmari government nor the various oppositional factions have any interest, much less ability, in trying to curtail Starlink.
- dylan604 1y agothey have interest in curtailing for the opposition while keeping it for themselves
- aspenmayer 1y agoIn light of this game of cat and mouse, the age of direct satellite-to-handset telecommunications is a harbinger of a more disquieting capability: dirtboxes in orbit. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirtbox_(cell_phone) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirtbox_(cell_phone) > A dirtbox (or DRT box) is a cell site simulator, a phone device mimicking a cell phone tower, that creates a signal strong enough to cause nearby dormant mobile phones to switch to it.
- killingtime74 1y agoThey can easily like you say, there's a GPS receiver in each terminal
- scarab92 1y agoThe compound is located right next to the Thai border, on a section of river that juts into Thailand. Small parts of the compound actually appear to be within Thailand, at the border resolution Google maps uses: https://www.google.com/maps/place/16%C2%B038'51.2%2522N+98%C2%B031'14.6%2522E/@16.647556,98.520722,15z https://www.google.com/maps/place/16%C2%B038'51.2%2522N+98%C...
- Snoozus 1y agoYes, but starlink doesn't operate in Thailand either.
- formula1 1y agoDo you have a link/information supporting this? This sounds on the crazy side but considering Dubai and China are reported doing similar things I could believe it.
- Gigachad 1y agoNot a formal source, but one youtuber went to the zone where these people are being held and found some of the forced scammers https://youtu.be/lx1SIEwwZrU?si=MIO-C14WxNSBMqMK&t=1118 https://youtu.be/lx1SIEwwZrU?si=MIO-C14WxNSBMqMK&t=1118 (at 18:30)
- safety1st 1y agoThe Wikipedia articles on both of those compounds should have sources. I first learned about it by reading Thai media. Abductions of both tourists and Thai nationals in Thailand has become an issue.
- NedF 1y ago[dead]