China tried three times to persuade powerful families in northern Myanmar to shut down scam operations before Myanmar police made a massive arrest in 2023, according to a new documentary broadcast on Chinese state television.
The three-part documentary, which was jointly produced by China’s Ministry of Public Security and state broadcaster CCTV and began airing on Monday, shows obstacles faced by Chinese authorities in pursuing criminal networks and scam groups operating in northern Myanmar across the border.
Chinese authorities said most of the groups in northern Myanmar had been dismantled and China’s cases concluded this year. Some 15 core members of syndicates have been executed for a range of crimes, from murder to fraud and human trafficking, while one person who had been sentenced died before the executions were carried out.
Telecoms and online scams became a major problem in China in the 2010s, fuelled by the spread of mobile phones, the internet and online payments.
The documentary said 80 per cent of telecoms and online fraud crimes that targeted Chinese nationals were committed overseas, with northern Myanmar accounting for a significant share.