Mass Arrests in Myanmar as Scam Gang Crackdown Heads to Court

An image from January 2025 showing the suspected criminal boss Wei Huairen being handed over to Chinese authorities. Photo: Xinhua

More than 57,000 Chinese nationals have been arrested in Myanmar amid a mass crackdown on gangs running telecoms fraud operations, frequently staffed by victims of trafficking.

China’s Ministry of Public Security announced the arrests on Wednesday and said they were carried out jointly by the Chinese and Myanmarese police. The arrests disabled some of the criminal networks run by four ethnically Chinese criminal clans in Myanmar’s Kokang region.

  • Get a daily email packed with the latest news and analysis from Africa, Asia, and across the Global South.
  • Read exclusive insights on the key trends shaping China’s relations across the Global South.
  • Full access to the News Feed that provides daily updates on Chinese engagement in the Global South.

China, Africa and the Global South... find out what’s happening.

Subscribe today for unlimited access.

OR

Already a subscriber? Log in Click Here to Learn More
by CGSP Staff

Most Read

1
Developing Countries’ Debt Servicing Costs to China Are Significant, but Nowhere Near as Much as Other Creditors
2
Uncertainty Roils Minerals Markets
3 Chinese Military Fans Discuss Why Indonesia Bought Rafale Instead of J-10C
4 From J-10C to Kaan? Indonesia’s Fighter Jet Deal With Turkey Shocks Chinese Military Fans
5
Indonesia Goes Nuclear, Taps China and Russia for Modular Reactors
6
Chinese Cargo Planes Secretly Ferrying Supplies to Iran, Claim Online Sleuths

You Might Like

Thailand is taking unprecedented action against transnational cybercrime syndicates by cutting electricity, internet, and fuel supplies to key crime hubs in Myanmar, starting today.

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

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 ...
Thailand is taking unprecedented action against transnational cybercrime syndicates by cutting electricity, internet, and fuel supplies to key crime hubs in Myanmar, starting today.

Myanmar Junta Says It Deported Over 50,000 Scam Center Workers to China

Myanmar’s ruling junta said Tuesday it had deported to China more than 50,000 people suspected of involvement in online scam operations since October 2023, as it made a rare call to neighboring countries ...

China, Myanmar, and Thailand Agree to Tackle Cross-Border Scam Centers

Officials from China, Thailand, and Myanmar agreed jointly to target a notorious telecom scam hub in the Burmese city of Myawaddy, reports China’s state media. Officials from Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos also attended ...

Suspect in Trafficking Scam Arrested

A suspect accused of involvement in numerous scam-related trafficking cases, including kidnapping the Chinese actor Wang Xing and trafficking him to Myanmar, was arrested and deported to China. The suspect, a Chinese national ...

What is The China-Global South Project?

Independent

The China-Global South Project is passionately independent, non-partisan and does not advocate for any country, company or culture.

News

A carefully curated selection of the day’s most important China-Global South stories. Updated 24 hours a day by human editors. No bots, no algorithms.

Analysis

Diverse, often unconventional insights from scholars, analysts, journalists and a variety of stakeholders in the China-Global South discourse.

Networking

A unique professional network of China-Africa scholars, analysts, journalists and other practioners from around the world.

More about CGSP