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China has carried out further executions of individuals convicted in connection with sprawling scam operations run out of Myanmar, part of a broader campaign by Beijing to dismantle transnational fraud networks blamed for targeting victims across the globe.
The Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court in southern China announced on Monday (local time) that four people found guilty of running scam and gambling operations that led to the deaths of six Chinese citizens have been executed. The court said the defendants were involved in schemes based in Myanmar's Kokang region, near China's border, that combined gambling, telecom fraud, abductions, extortion, forced prostitution, and drug production and trafficking. The sentences stem from convictions handed down in November, when five members of the so-called "Bai family criminal group" were sentenced to death; however, group leader Bai Suocheng died of illness before his sentence could be carried out. According to the court's statement, the scam operations defrauded victims of more than 29 billion yuan (about $4.2 billion) and inflicted injuries on others, in addition to causing the confirmed deaths. The court described the crimes as "exceptionally heinous, with particularly serious circumstances and consequences, posing a tremendous threat to society." The executions are the latest in a series of harsh measures taken by Chinese authorities against cross-border scam syndicates. Last week, the Supreme People's Court approved and China executed 11 people connected to similar telecom fraud operations linked to criminal gangs operating from Myanmar as part of the same intensified law enforcement push. Beijing's campaign reflects growing concern within China over the proliferation of large scam compounds in Southeast Asia, particularly in the borderlands of Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos. These compounds have drawn thousands of workers, some recruited willingly, others trafficked, to take part in digital scams that target individuals around the world, including Chinese nationals. The intensified crackdown coincides with mounting international pressure on Southeast Asian governments to address the growing scourge of scam parks and fraud rings. China has increased cooperation with neighbouring states to repatriate suspects and close down facilities used for large-scale fraud, part of an effort to protect its citizens and disrupt illicit networks that have flourished in recent years. At the same time, Myanmar's military government. which has long been criticised for turning a blind eye to illegal scam operations within its territory, has publicly touted its own raids on notorious sites such as KK Park. (ANI)
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