Myanmar’s borderlands have become a hotspot for online scam operations, with over 50,000 people deported to China since October 2023. These scam compounds, staffed by trafficked individuals, generate billions in fraudulent revenue, highlighting a regional crisis that demands urgent international cooperation.
BY PC Bureau
Myanmar’s ruling junta has escalated its crackdown on the burgeoning online scam industry that has turned the nation’s borderlands into a hotspot for illegal activities. Since October 2023, the junta has deported over 50,000 individuals suspected of involvement in these operations, with more than 53,000 of them sent to China. These foreign nationals, many of whom were trafficked and forced into labor, are part of a vast online fraud network that analysts estimate to be worth billions of dollars.
The operations, which involve online gambling, scams, and fraudulent investment schemes, have mushroomed in Myanmar’s border regions, especially near the northern border with China. Scam compounds are often staffed by foreigners who are trafficked into the country and coerced into working in these illegal operations.
Arrested Chinese telecommunication scammers operating in Myanmar sent back to China via the Myanmar border pic.twitter.com/r1uLEsfN1d
— @ (@anthraxxx781) October 5, 2024
The junta’s recent admission in the Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper, as reported by news agency AFP, marks the first time it has publicly acknowledged the scale of these criminal activities. The editorial disclosed that over 55,000 foreign nationals involved in border scams have been deported since October, with the majority—over 53,000—sent to China. Other deportees came from Vietnam, Thailand, and a variety of other countries.
Arrested Chinese telecommunication scammers operating in Myanmar sent back to China via the Myanmar border pic.twitter.com/r1uLEsfN1d
— @ (@anthraxxx781) October 5, 2024
Myanmar’s northern border with China had previously been a hotbed for these scam operations, which were often run by militias aligned with the junta. However, a recent offensive by an alliance of ethnic rebel groups successfully dismantled many of these centers, forcing scam bosses to relocate. Local media reports suggest that these criminal groups have since moved further south, along the border with Thailand, prompting further concerns about the spread of online scams and gambling in the region.
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The junta’s call for neighboring countries to join in combating these criminal activities is a rare plea for regional cooperation. The military regime, which seized power in a 2021 coup ousting democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, has faced increasing international condemnation for its human rights abuses. Yet, the scale of the online scam operations has prompted Myanmar’s junta to seek broader regional collaboration. Myanmar and Thai military officials have reportedly agreed to work together to eradicate online gambling and scams, a move that comes amid mounting concerns about the negative impact of these operations on regional security and public safety.
Bryony Lau, the deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch, described the scam compounds as “one of the most pressing regional crises the region is facing.” These compounds not only represent a significant source of revenue for criminal syndicates but also have severe human rights implications, as many of the trafficked individuals are subjected to inhumane working conditions and exploitation.
As Myanmar’s internal turmoil continues, the junta’s efforts to combat these criminal activities are unfolding against the backdrop of an increasingly unstable political situation. The junta’s desperation to control these operations reflects the growing crisis in Myanmar, one that has spilled over into regional security concerns and is straining international relations.
