CaliToday (23/10/2025): The move on October 22 comes after intense international pressure and U.S. investigations revealed the satellite internet service was enabling a $60 billion criminal empire run by Chinese triads in Myanmar.
People on a balcony of a building with what appears to be Starlink satellite dishes on the roof in the KK Park complex in Myanmar's eastern Myawaddy township, as pictured from Mae Sot district in Thailand's border province of Tak, on September 17, 2025. Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty Images
In a decisive move against organized crime, Elon Musk's SpaceX has deactivated more than 2,500 Starlink terminals that were providing a vital internet lifeline to a network of notorious "scam centers" in Myanmar.
The targeted facilities include the infamous KK Park, a sprawling, walled-off "scam city" on the Myanmar-Thailand border that is considered the largest of its kind in Southeast Asia.
The shutdown, which took effect today, was confirmed by SpaceX after the company said it had "proactively identified and deactivated" the rogue units. This action follows mounting international pressure and warnings from U.S. authorities, including the FBI and the Department of Justice, that Starlink's technology was being exploited to facilitate industrial-scale human trafficking and financial fraud.
A $60 Billion Criminal Empire
The primary target, KK Park, is a massive, multi-hundred-hectare complex located near the town of Myawaddy, just across the border from Thailand. While nominally under the jurisdiction of the Myanmar military and local militias, the area is a lawless "crime haven" controlled by Chinese crime syndicates, including the notorious 14K Triad.
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| In this image provided by the Myanmar military on Oct. 19, 2025, soldiers stand next to Starlink machines during a raid on KK Park in Myawaddy township, Karen State, Myanmar. AP |
This "city" is the global epicenter of "pig butchering" (shāzhūpán) scams. These are sophisticated, long-term romance and investment frauds where thousands of forced laborers, many of whom are human trafficking victims, contact targets on social media and dating apps. They spend months "fattening up" their victims by building trust before "butchering" them, convincing them to invest their life savings into fraudulent cryptocurrency platforms.
According to a 2024 report from the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP), these operations are estimated to cost global victims up to $60 billion annually.
Starlink as a "Godsend" for Criminals
These industrial-scale scam operations are entirely dependent on one thing: stable, high-speed internet. They need reliable connections to manage thousands of simultaneous conversations with victims across the globe.
Starlink, SpaceX's satellite internet service, became the solution. It allowed the syndicates to bypass Myanmar's unreliable and state-controlled internet infrastructure. Satellite imagery analyzed by AFP and other investigators revealed a "frenzied" installation of Starlink antennas across the rooftops of KK Park's countless buildings.
The service became a "godsend" for the criminals but was in direct violation of SpaceX's terms of service, which prohibit the use of its technology for illegal activities.
The Pressure to Act
The shutdown did not happen in a vacuum. The FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice had previously warned Starlink that its service was being co-opted for transnational crime in the region.
However, the most intense pressure came from China. The primary targets of the KK Park scams are Chinese citizens, who account for the majority of the tens of billions in losses. Beijing, which provides political and military backing to the Myanmar junta, has been leaning heavily on the military to crack down on the centers.
This pressure resulted in a highly publicized raid by the Myanmar military on October 19. While authorities arrested over 2,000 people, the raid was largely symbolic. They seized only 30 Starlink antennas a minuscule fraction of the thousands estimated to be operating within the complex.
SpaceX Pulls the Plug
Just three days after the military's token raid, SpaceX delivered the real blow.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on October 22, Lauren Dreyer, SpaceX's Vice President of Starlink Business Operations, confirmed the action:
"SpaceX has proactively identified and deactivated over 2,500 Starlink Kits in suspected scam center regions in Myanmar."
While Elon Musk has not commented directly, the move aligns with the company's service policies. By deactivating the terminals, SpaceX has effectively cut the digital oxygen from one of the world's most brutal and sophisticated criminal operations, a move that will have a far greater impact than any military action in the region thus far.