Myanmar extradites 31,000 people to China involved in online scams
Police agencies in the two countries have been working together against telecom scams since September. Some 63 alleged "financiers" and ringleaders top the list of people wanted in connection with Chinese nationals cheated out of lots of money. Fighting between Myanmar’s ruling junta and rebel forces is fuelling the problem.
Yangon (AsiaNews) – Myanmar has handed over to China 31,000 telecom fraud suspects since law enforcement agencies in both countries began cracking down on online scams in September.
The people caught up in the investigation include 63 alleged "financiers" and ringleaders of crime syndicates who allegedly cheated Chinese out of large amounts of money, Myanmar’s Ministry of Public Security said in a statement today. “The crackdown has achieved significant battle results,” he added.
According to Chinese state media, every day more than 100,000 people are involved in telecom fraud in at least a thousand scam centres in Myanmar along the border with southwest China, which has led to "web slaves".
This kind of illegal activity has been criticised on several occasions in the past, and is now impacted by the tense situation in the border area between the two countries, due to the ongoing conflict between rebel groups and the junta that took power in a coup.
Chinese police began cracking down on fraud in September, launching what they called "swift attacks" on criminal gangs in Myanmar.
Last week, the leader of a criminal gang in Myanmar committed suicide while on the run, and three members of his gang were later handed over to Chinese police.
As telecom scams in Myanmar targeting Chinese citizens surges, Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Nong Rong visited Myanmar this month, highlighting Sino-Myanmar cooperation tackling cross-border crime, including online gambling.
The senior Chinese official reiterated his government’s support for Myanmar’s efforts at keeping stable borders amid its escalating internal strife, a source of concern among several nations in the region.
In fact, Myanmar's ruling military is facing attacks on many fronts in the country’s borderlands, as an alliance of ethnic minority insurgent groups teamed up with pro-democracy groups challenging the military government.
In this regard, the Chinese Foreign Ministry stressed Beijing's "constructive" role in favour of “peace talks”, urging the “relevant parties to put the interests of the people first, cease fire and end war as soon as possible”.
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18/02/2021 12:50
