China executes 11 people linked to telecom scam compounds in Myanmar for crimes including homicide and fraud, as Beijing intensifies its crackdown.
BEIJING: China executed 11 people linked to transnational telecom fraud operations on Thursday. The state news agency Xinhua reported the executions were carried out by a court in the eastern city of Wenzhou.
Those executed were sentenced to death in September for crimes committed since 2015. Their offences included “intentional homicide, intentional injury, unlawful detention, fraud and casino establishment”.
The Supreme People’s Court in Beijing approved the death sentences. It found the evidence for crimes committed by the group was “conclusive and sufficient”.
Among those executed were “key members” of the notorious “Ming family criminal group”. Xinhua stated their activities contributed to the deaths of 14 Chinese citizens and injuries to “many others”.
Fraud compounds, often in the lawless borderlands of Myanmar, lure victims into fake relationships and cryptocurrency investments. The criminal groups initially targeted Chinese speakers but have expanded to steal from victims globally.
Workers in these compounds are sometimes willing con artists or trafficked foreign nationals forced to work. The industry has extracted billions of dollars worldwide through phone and internet scams.
Experts say most centres are run by Chinese-led crime syndicates cooperating with Myanmar militias. Beijing has intensified cooperation with regional governments to dismantle the operations.
A foreign ministry spokesman said China “will continue to deepen international law enforcement cooperation” against “the cancer of gambling and fraud”. Thousands have been repatriated to face trial in China’s justice system.
The September court rulings also gave five individuals death sentences with two-year reprieves. Another 23 suspects received prison sentences ranging from five years to life.
In November, Chinese authorities sentenced five others to death for scam operations in Myanmar’s Kokang region. Their crimes led to the deaths of six Chinese nationals.
The UN has warned the cyberscam industry is spreading globally to regions including South America and Africa. It estimates hundreds of thousands of people are working in scam centres worldwide.
