China tried 3 times to talk crime families out of scam business in Myanmar: state media
Por Eve Qiao — South China Morning Post – News feed
Advertisement Myanmar China Politics China tried 3 times to talk crime families out of scam business in Myanmar: state media
Series outlines how joint operations brought down major border compounds amid warning criminal syndicates are relocating near Thailand
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Eve Qiao Published: 2:44pm, 6 Oct 2026 Updated: 2:51pm, 6 Oct 2026 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.
01:46 Thai military showcases gutted town-sized scam complex on Cambodian border
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.
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