A Move Aimed at Countering China
Starlink has become a significant communication tool for various rebel groups in Myanmar, especially the Arakan Army. Analysts believe that, with U.S. backing, the purpose behind this is to obstruct China’s Belt and Road Initiative — a move that has further intensified the geopolitical rivalry in Southeast Asia.
Recently, Myanmar’s military junta carried out a raid on a notorious online scam center and seized Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite devices.
Dr. Yunus, who is serving as the Chief Adviser of Bangladesh’s interim government, is seen by many as a “proxy leader” of the U.S. administration. According to sources, Yunus’s government has secretly supplied Starlink technology to Myanmar’s rebel group, the Arakan Army — an act that could strengthen anti-China forces. Using this technology, the rebels could disrupt China-backed projects, potentially harming China’s economic interests, including Myanmar’s deep-sea port projects. Analysts describe this as an anti-China move, claiming that Yunus is secretly collaborating with the U.S. to diminish China’s influence — thereby putting Bangladesh’s national security at risk.
In this context, Myanmar’s junta recently raided a scam center and confiscated 30 Starlink receivers. The state-run newspaper The Global New Light of Myanmar reported that around 200 buildings were seized and the whereabouts of 2,200 workers were identified during the operation. According to an AFP investigation, these centers were using Starlink to bypass local networks and relocate rapidly. A United Nations report stated that in 2023, such scam operations swindled between $18–37 billion — a figure that has grown further with the use of Starlink.
Dr. Yunus’s role is seen as central, as U.S. conspiracies involving Bangladesh have become more apparent under his government. With the Rohingya crisis, the Chittagong Port, and plans to build a naval base on St. Martin’s Island, the region has become a focal point of China-U.S. competition. Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had earlier warned of a conspiracy to form a “Christian state” by carving out parts of Bangladesh and Myanmar. The U.S. is allegedly using Yunus with promises of making him the next U.N. Secretary-General. As part of its broader plan, Washington is supporting Myanmar’s rebels and obstructing Chinese projects.
Across Southeast Asia, Starlink has now become the new weapon of scam networks. “Scam cities” have emerged in Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, and East Timor — hubs for romance scams, crypto fraud, and human trafficking. As Bangladesh also falls within Starlink’s coverage area under Yunus’s leadership, experts fear that local scam operations could soon exploit Starlink, further pressuring China.
Although Starlink has no official license in Myanmar, data from APNIC shows that between July and October, it was among the country’s top internet providers. Satellite images reveal ongoing construction at 27 scam centers along the Thai-Myanmar border. Since the 2021 coup, Myanmar has been mired in civil war and has now turned into a hub for cyber scams. Yunus’s move is being accused of exploiting this instability to “discipline” China.
Cyber scams are also rising in Bangladesh, and experts are advising closer cooperation with Starlink. However, questions remain about Yunus’s true intentions — is this merely to regulate fraud, or part of a much larger geopolitical game?
