China, Thailand and Myanmar strike a deal on online scam centres
Beijing reportedly reached an agreement with the two Southeast Asian countries to eliminate the compounds where thousands of Chinese nationals are detained. China recently also announced a ceasefire between Myanmar’s military junta and one of the ethnic resistance militias, but the two sides have not provided any details.
Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) – China, Myanmar and Thailand have reached an agreement to eradicate online scam centres in Myanmar, CCTV, China's largest state-owned TV broadcasters, reported.
The agreement was reached at a meeting in the Chinese city of Kunming, in the presence of representatives from Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, who agreed to "make every effort" to release people held in scam centres and arrest the leaders of the criminal syndicates that run them.
Online scam centres are large compounds in Southeast Asia where people are lured with fake job offers and then forced to engage in online scams against their own compatriots.
After a Chinese actor was recently lured to the Thai-Myanmar border with a fake job offer, China stepped up its rhetoric and action against online scam centres, which are located mostly in Myanmar and run by Chinese bosses.
Last week, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with diplomatic representatives from the region’s countries, urging them to take strong measures against online gambling and fraud.
Since 2023, 53,388 Chinese nationals have been freed and repatriated from Myanmar, Chinese authorities reported. It is also estimated that over a thousand online scam centres operate in the Southeast Asian country, torn by civil war for almost four years.
Today the Global New Light of Myanmar, the mouthpiece of Myanmar’s ruling junta, publicly confirmed the figures, adding that the latter too had freed about 2,000 foreigners, mainly from Vietnam and Thailand.
In their statement, Myanmar authorities said that online scams are run by foreigners from neighbouring countries, probably referring to Thailand.
Yesterday, China also announced that one of the ethnic militias fighting against Myanmar’s military regime, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), agreed to sign a ceasefire.
“With China’s mediation and effort to drive progress … the two sides reached and signed a formal ceasefire agreement, and stopped fighting at 12 a.m. on January 18, 2025,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning, referring to the MNDAA and the Myanmar military, who did not, however, release information about the truce.
According to local sources speaking to Radio Free Asia, the agreement has made it possible to momentarily reopen some border crossings between China and Myanmar, re-establishing trade, Beijing's main interest in the region.
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17/10/2023 15:12
