Thousands freed as Myanmar scam hubs empty out – but for how long?
Published: 7:24pm, 20 Feb 2025 A blitz on the cyber fraud industry along Myanmar 's border with Thailand has led to the rescue of around 10,000 scam workers, with the first planes carrying Chinese nationals departing on Thursday in a high-profile operation to show that the crime syndicates behind the illegal trade are being dismantled.
But questions persist regarding the long-term effectiveness of the crackdown on an illicit industry that generates tens of billions of dollars annually, primarily benefiting alleged Chinese crime bosses – and their apparent protectors in border regions controlled by warlords and ethnic armed militias.
The Myawaddy area of Myanmar is one of the world's largest bases for scamming, with dozens of companies staffed by recruits from across the world.
Many have been duped by fake job offers which instead resulted in them being forced to commit phone and online fraud, under the threat of torture. Under pressure from China , Thailand had pulled internet links and fuel supplies to the border hubs, while an ethnic armed group – and a powerful border force allied with the Myanmar junta – said they had taken down numerous scam operations over recent weeks. A man escorted by Thai soldiers ahead of flight to China. Photo: Khu Sam
China's Public Security Assistant Minister Liu Zhongyi met Thai ministers in Bangkok on Wednesday to help seal the return of the first group of around 600 Chinese nationals.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTHK
4 hours ago
- RTHK
LA protests spark HK and Chinese consulate warnings
LA protests spark HK and Chinese consulate warnings A Waymo vehicle burns after being set on fire in Los Angeles. Photo: AFP The Hong Kong government has reminded residents who are already in the United States or intend to visit the country to pay attention to personal safety in view of the ongoing protests and riots there. "The government reminds residents who intend to visit the United Stated or are already there to monitor the local situation, exercise caution, attend to personal safety, avoid large gatherings of people, and pay attention to local announcements on the latest situation," a spokesman said. The Security Bureau will continue to closely monitor the situation there. Meanwhile, the Chinese consulate in Los Angeles told the country's citizens in the area to strengthen personal security amid unrest in America's second-biggest city. "Chinese citizens in the region [should] strengthen personal security measures, stay away from gatherings, crowded areas, or places with poor public security, and avoid going out at night or travelling alone," the consulate said in a statement. They should also closely monitor official announcements and raise their safety awareness, it added. The warning came as Los Angeles police ordered the public to disperse from the downtown area after further unrest, with cars torched and security forces firing tear gas at protesters, in the wake of US President Donald Trump's deployment of National Guard troops to the city. (Additional reporting by AFP)
HKFP
5 hours ago
- HKFP
Chinese aircraft carrier enters Japan's economic waters, Tokyo says
A Chinese aircraft carrier group entered Japan's economic waters over the weekend, before exiting to conduct drills involving fighter jets, Tokyo's defence ministry said Monday. The Liaoning carrier, two missile destroyers and one fast combat supply ship sailed around 300 kilometres (190 miles) southwest of Japan's easternmost island of Minamitori on Saturday, a ministry statement said. It was the first time a Chinese aircraft carrier had entered that part of Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ), a Japanese defence ministry spokesman told AFP. 'We think the Chinese military is trying to improve its operational capability and ability to conduct operations in distant areas,' the spokesman said. China's growing military clout and use of naval and air assets to press disputed territorial claims have rattled the United States and its allies in the Asia-Pacific region. Tokyo's chief cabinet secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters on Monday that the government had 'conveyed an appropriate message to the Chinese side' without saying it had lodged a formal protest. After the Liaoning and its accompanying vessels exited Japan's EEZ, fighter jets and helicopters conducted take-offs and landings on Sunday, the ministry statement said. Japan deployed its warship Haguro to the area to monitor the situation, it added. Last month, the Liaoning sailed between two southern Japanese islands within the EEZ, from the East China Sea into the Pacific while conducting take-offs and landings on deck, the ministry said. The carrier in September last year sailed between two Japanese islands near Taiwan and entered Japan's contiguous waters, an area up to 24 nautical miles from its coast. At the time Tokyo called the move 'unacceptable' and expressed 'serious concerns' to Beijing. Under international law, a state has rights to the management of natural resources and other economic activities within its EEZ, which is within 200 nautical miles (370 kilometres) of its coastline. Late last month, Tokyo accused Beijing of conducting unnotified maritime scientific research within its EEZ, near the remote Pacific atoll of Okinotori.
RTHK
6 hours ago
- RTHK
Sino-US talks hope fuels strong rise for HK stocks
Sino-US talks hope fuels strong rise for HK stocks The Hang Seng Index finished strongly up 388.89 points, or 1.63 percent, for the day at 24,181.43. File photo: RTHK Asian stocks rallied on Monday on hopes that a fresh round of China-US trade talks later in the day will ease tensions between the economic superpowers, while investors were also cheered by forecast-topping US jobs data. In Hong Kong, the benchmark Hang Seng Index ended strongly up 388.89 points, or 1.63 percent, for the day at 24,181.43. Across the border, Chinese stocks closed higher, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index up 0.43 percent to 3,399.77. The Shenzhen Component Index closed 0.65 percent higher at 10,250. The ChiNext Index, tracking China's Nasdaq-style board of growth enterprises, gained 1.07 percent to close at 2,061.29. Regional gains extended a run-up across global markets in recent weeks as fears about US President Donald Trump's tariff blitz subside and countries make deals with Washington. All eyes are on London, where top officials from China and the United States are due to meet for more negotiations aimed at preserving a fragile truce agreed last month that slashed eye-watering tit-for-tat levies. The talks come days after President Xi Jinping and Trump held their first publicly announced telephone talks since the Republican returned to the White House. They were helped by news that Beijing had on Saturday approved some applications for rare-earth exports, while aviation giant Boeing will start sending commercial jets to China for the first time since April. The impact of the trade row was highlighted on Monday in data showing Chinese exports to the United States sank more than 34 percent year on year in May and almost 13 percent from the previous month. However, shipments to other regions including the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations surged. Separate data showed Chinese consumer prices fell in May for the fourth straight month. Optimism that the two sides will make a breakthrough boosted other markets such as Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore, Mumbai, Bangkok and Manila also advanced. In Japan, the Nikkei share average advanced ahead of Sino-US trade talks in London later in the day, with investors watching for any easing of restrictions on semiconductor shipments. The Nikkei rose 0.92 percent to 38,088.57 at the close. The broader Topix rose 0.58 percent. A sub-index of growth shares rallied 0.79 percent, outpacing a 0.38 percent rise in value shares. Chip-testing equipment maker and Nvidia supplier Advantest was the Nikkei's biggest gainer in index-point terms with a 4.86 percent climb. Another chip company, Socionext, soared 7.34 percent to be the top performer in percentage terms. (Reuters/Xinhua)
