200 fraud suspects repatriated from Myanmar to China

A chartered flight repatriating the first batch of Chinese nationals totaling 200 suspected of being involved in fraud crimes from Myanmar landed in Nanjing, East China’s Jiangsu Province, via Thailand on Thursday afternoon. This marks a milestone and remarkable achievement in multinational law-enforcement efforts between China, Thailand and Myanmar to crack down on telecom and cyber fraud, according to China’s Ministry of Public Security.

More than 800 Chinese suspects involved in fraud crimes in Thailand-Myanmar border area will be sequentially repatriated on chartered flights into Jiangsu Province within the next three days, the Global Times learned from China’s Ministry of Public Security.

It fully demonstrates the firm resolve of the three nations to jointly combat transnational crimes such as telecom and cyber fraud, and to collectively safeguard regional security and stability, said the Ministry of Public Security.

At 5:10 PM on Thursday, a chartered flight landed at Nanjing Lukou International Airport, carrying 200 Chinese criminal suspects returning from Myanmar - mostly men - each escorted by two police officers and then transferred to judicial authorities for further case processing.

The Global Times learned from a source close to the matter that this round of operations has seen the “strongest support” given to China from Thailand and Myanmar since the joint law enforcement action against cross-border telecom and cyber fraud in the Thailand-Myanmar border area. 

In the next phase, the tripartite mechanism between China, Myanmar, and Thailand for combating transnational cybercrime will operate on a regular basis. Efforts will be intensified to rescue trapped individuals, apprehend telecom fraud syndicates, dismantle their core structures, and decisively eradicate the telecom fraud hubs in Myawaddy, Liu Ningning, a second-level inspector at the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ministry of Public Security, said during an interview with media in Thailand. 

Public security authorities will also deepen practical cooperation with more countries, rigorously crack down on transnational cybercrime in accordance with the law, and effectively safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens, said Liu.

In response to a question regarding the matter, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Thursday at a press meeting that fighting online gambling and scam demonstrates our commitment to the people-centered development philosophy. It is also a must choice for safeguarding the common interests of regional countries, and meets the shared aspiration of the people of all countries. 

China is carrying out active bilateral and multilateral cooperation with countries including Thailand and Myanmar. We have adopted various means to address both symptoms and the root cause and worked together to prevent lawbreakers from crossing borders, so as to jointly eradicate the problems of online gambling and scam, safeguard the life and property of the people, and uphold the order of exchanges between regional countries, Guo said. 

Recently, the security authorities of China, Myanmar, and Thailand have intensified their efforts and joined hands to launch a concentrated crackdown on telecom and internet fraud crimes in the Myawaddy area. After the successful rescue of Chinese actor Wang Xing from Myawaddy, rampant criminal activities along the Thailand-Myanmar border have drawn great attention worldwide as Thai police said Wang was a victim of human trafficking. 

At the end of January, with the support of Chinese embassies and consulates in Thailand and Myanmar, the Ministry of Public Security dispatched working groups to both countries. They held multiple rounds of talks and consultations with law enforcement agencies there, reaching a consensus on further strengthening trilateral law enforcement cooperation among China, Myanmar, and Thailand, according to the Ministry of Public Security on Thursday.

Thailand has also implemented measures such as cutting off electricity, internet, and fuel supplies to the Myawaddy area, and has strengthened patrols and control along the Thai-Myanmar border to resolutely block the smuggling and transfer channels for fraud suspects. Myanmar has deployed a centralized inspection of the telecom fraud compounds in the Myawaddy area, arresting suspects involved in fraud and rescuing trapped Chinese citizens. Through close collaboration and joint efforts by all three parties, significant progress has been made in the crackdown, resulting in the arrest of a large number of suspects involved in fraud crimes in the Myawaddy area of Myanmar, the ministry noted.

Source: Global Times
--Agencies