Dozens of suspected scam workers were arrested at the Thai border as they fled escalating raids on fraud hubs in Myanmar.

Thirty-nine alleged scammers lugged their baggage across the Moei River to escape into Thailand's Tak province.

Authorities were alerted to the illegal crossing when locals spotted the group wading through the natural border on Wednesday afternoon.

Soldiers detained the individuals - including Pakistanis, Kenyans, Ugandans, Vietnamese, Indians, Nepalese, and nationals from South Sudan, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Burundi and Rwanda - in Mae Tao Village, where they surrendered without resistance.

While screening the migrants, the Rajamanu Special Task Force were later notified about 15 Chinese people at another crossing point on the river.

All 54 workers were taken to the Tak Immigration Checkpoint for questioning.

They claimed they had been hiding in Myawaddy, Myanmar, after fleeing the notorious KK Park scam compound, where they were allegedly forced to work under threat of beatings.

They added that they crossed into Thailand due to food shortages and poor living conditions.

The workers were handed over to immigration authorities for further legal action.

Myanmar's military junta has been stepping up raids on scam compounds along its border amid mounting pressure from key military ally China.

On November 18, soldiers stormed gambling empire Shwe Kokko, arresting 346 people linked to the black-market compound.

While on November 10, Burmese soldiers blasted KK Park, a sprawling complex containing 148 buildings, including hotels, warehouses, entertainment venues, a hospital, fitness centres, a stadium, and a market.

Compounds near the Thai-Myanmar border have become hubs for internet fraudsters running romance and business scams, a situation that intensified due to Myanmar's weak regulation following the 2021 coup.

A widely reported crackdown earlier in February led to the repatriation of around 7,000 workers and prompted Thailand to impose a cross-border internet blockade.