China executes 11 suspects in connection with Myanmar-related scams

China Executes 11 People Linked to Online Scam Centres in Myanmar

A court in Wenzhou, China has carried out executions for 11 individuals linked to online scam centres in Myanmar, according to state media Xinhua. The executed individuals were sentenced to death in September by a court in Wenzhou, with the Supreme People’s Court in Beijing approving their death sentences.

The crimes of those executed included intentional homicide, intentional injury, unlawful detention, fraud, and casino establishment. Fraud operations in Myanmar have targeted Chinese speakers at first but have since expanded to multiple languages, defrauding victims worldwide.

The death sentences were approved by the Supreme People’s Court after finding conclusive evidence of crimes committed since 2015. The Ming family criminal group was among those executed, whose activities contributed to the deaths of 14 Chinese citizens and injuries to many others.

China has stepped up cooperation with Thailand and Myanmar to crack down on online scam centres, resulting in thousands of people being repatriated for trial. The operations have extracted billions of dollars from around the world through phone and internet scams.

The military government of Myanmar has been accused of turning a blind eye to the scam centres but has since claimed to be cracking down on them. In recent months, the military has arrested over 2,000 people in raids on suspected scam centres.

According to estimates by the United Nations, as many as 120,000 people may be working in online scam centres in Myanmar, with another 100,000 potentially trapped in similar facilities across Southeast Asia. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime has warned of the spread of the cyberscam industry globally.

Source: Al Jazeera