At the KK Garden Myanmar casino complex, victims are detained and forced to work in fraud centres. [Image: Shutterstock.com]
He was taken prisoner
As reported BBCThe United Nations estimates that hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world have been trafficked to Southeast Asia to carry out online scams. One of the suspected locations for these nefarious operations is KK Park in Myanmar, which has been referred to as the “Garden of Hell”.
Center for organized crime and fraud
KK Garden is located in Shwe Kokou Village, Myawaddy, and is a Chinese-invested casino and entertainment complex, according to local officials. But those lucky enough to escape the complex have a completely different view, claiming it to be a hub for organized crime and fraud.
The criminals responsible often attract people from other Southeast Asian countries by offering easy work and extravagant perks, with a particular focus on Malaysian victims. Once there, they are detained and forced to work in online fraud centers. The stories of the victims and their families can give us a glimpse into the “garden of hell”.
Chen Feng – 23 years old
Oftentimes, the inhumane conditions at KK Garden can lead to tragedy for those who are lured there, with many workers being tortured. One such example concerns Goi Zhen Feng, a 23-year-old student who was about to graduate as a teacher. Instead, his parents had to make a heartbreaking trip to Thailand to collect his ashes last year.
Zhen Feng has fallen prey to a “pig slaughtering scam”, in which the organization preys on the victim to gain their trust before luring them to a foreign country. Believing he was meeting a “friend” he had only spoken to online, Chen Feng traveled to Bangkok and never returned home. He was forced to work as a cyber hustler at KK Garden.
He died in a hospital across the river from the complex under a false name
In the last call he made to his parents, Chen Feng said that he had been beaten for feigning illness. He asked his parents for money so he could be admitted to the hospital. Chen Feng spent a month in intensive care due to a heart and lung infection before finally succumbing to his illness. He died in a hospital across the river from the complex under a false name.
Zhen Feng’s father, Goi Chee Kong, spoke with ap news in December last year. He said: “We are slowly accepting the fact that my son is dead. I hope my son is the first and last (Malaysian) to die because of such frauds.”
Muhammad Farhan Azman – 19 years old
Other victims of KK Garden who were lucky enough to get out of the compound can provide a clearer picture of life inside. Muhammad Farhan Azman is one such survivor. He spent four months in a Myanmar compound, He described it as a “living hell”.
A Malaysian was drawn to Thailand by an offer of a housekeeping job. There, he and four of his friends were taken to Myanmar by car before being taken to KK Park by boat, accompanied by people carrying weapons.
It is a complete city except for a police station or a mosque.”
“You can find everything there,” said the 19-year-old. the star. “It is a complete city except for a police station or a mosque.” Mohammed Farhan said the “garden of hell” was equipped with four-meter-high walls, barbed wire, and even armed guards carrying weapons and explosives. He claims that there are around 1,000 Malaysians trapped in the compound.
When he and his friends refused to act as frauds, they were beaten daily, according to Mohamed Farhan. Their captors demanded that they demand a ransom of 15,000 Malaysian ringgit ($3,300) from their parents to secure their release. “The last eight days we were there, we didn’t receive any food, so we only drank water,” he said.
Mohammed Farhan eventually managed to escape but not before he and his friends were sold to another syndicate. They run into a restaurant and ask the owner for help as they are being transported.
what happens?
According to the Malaysian National News Agency bernamaRescue work continues, albeit at a slow pace due to a lack of resources. The media spoke with assembly member Sim Chun Siang in March. He had been completing rescues from Myanmar for about a year and had just returned to the country with five other Malaysian victims.
He criticized the Malaysian foreign minister for not taking further action
Sim Chun Siang revealed that he had to complete the work “at his own expense” and criticized Malaysia’s foreign minister for not taking further action. The rescue mission in March was his last, after he announced his retirement from rescue work months earlier. It’s a job he unwittingly fell into after helping one of his constituents try to save their son
After preparing its report on human trafficking in Southeast Asia, the United Nations urged local governments to crack down on these criminal networks. “All affected states must muster the political will to promote human rights and improve governance and the rule of law, including through serious and sustained efforts to tackle corruption,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk.
Assuming thousands of KK Park victims are still trapped behind its walls, local government officials will have to heed Türk’s words sooner rather than later.
