Myanmar's leader blames Starlink for fueling online scam operations

During his first major speech to parliament since becoming civilian president, Min Aung Hlaing accused Elon Musk’s satellite provider Starlink of enabling the country's booming online fraud industry, which preys on users with romance and business scams worth tens of billions of dollars. He claimed the equipment, along with other computer accessories, is smuggled in by foreign nationals and that the government will not tolerate such crimes.

The military-backed legislature approved a law this week that authorizes the death penalty for individuals who detain or coerce victims into working at scam centers. Since the 2021 coup that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi, fraud factories have proliferated in border regions where state control has collapsed, often employing trafficked workers. Experts say the crackdown intensified after pressure from China, while a recent UN assessment says law-enforcement actions have merely displaced the networks.

Starlink announced it had already disabled service to over 2,500 devices operating at Myanmar scam hubs. The junta’s stance marks a public shift in addressing an industry it has long been accused of overlooking.