Chinese nationals trapped and tortured at Myanmar scam compound operated by son of DKBA leader

Mizzima has learned that more than 1,000 Chinese nationals are being held captive and subjected to daily torture at the Deeko Park online scam compound, reportedly controlled by Colonel Saw Eh Le Htoo, the son of Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) leader Saw Steel.

The online scam compound is located near Wawlay town, south of Myawaddy in Karen State, an area controlled by the DKBA. A Chinese national recently shared a photograph on Chinese social media showing people trapped and tortured inside the compound, accompanied by a plea for help.

“There is a resort known as Wa Le Zheng Hei Company in Myawaddy where more than 1,000 Chinese nationals are being held. They were initially transferred there from the No. 20 port area, and numerous soldiers are guarding the entrance, preventing anyone from leaving,” he wrote on 11 January.

The Chinese national wrote that the workers confined in dark rooms and tortured if they fail to meet assigned money-laundering targets, adding that he hopes international organizations will intervene to rescue them.