China, Thailand, and Myanmar Join Forces to Crack Down on Online Scam Centers

Thailand is taking unprecedented action against transnational cybercrime syndicates by cutting electricity, internet, and fuel supplies to key crime hubs in Myanmar, starting today.
A general view of Myanmar's Myawaddy town is seen from across the Thai side in Mae Sot district on April 11, 2024. Thailand is taking unprecedented action against transnational cybercrime syndicates by cutting electricity, internet, and fuel supplies to key crime hubs in Myanmar starting Wednesday, February 5, 2025. (Photo by MANAN VATSYAYANA / AFP)

Officials from China, Myanmar, and Thailand met in Kunming, China, on Tuesday agreed to join forces and conduct a joint operation to crack down online scams, online gambling, and growing number of telecommunication fraud centers operating out of Myanmar. According to China’s national broadcaster, CCTV, the three nations agreed to work together to take down these criminal networks.

Other countries in the region joined the talks too. Representatives from Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Thailand pledged to step up efforts to arrest the leaders of these syndicates, shut down fraud operations, and rescue the many people trapped in these schemes.

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