Suspects of telecom fraud are being prosecuted – Chinadaily.com.cn

Thirty-nine members of major criminal gangs based in northern Myanmar were prosecuted by a prosecutor’s office in East China’s Zhejiang province on Monday for telecommunications fraud and other crimes targeting Chinese nationals.

The case filed at the Wenzhou Intermediate People’s Court charged the suspects with fraud, intentional homicide, intentional injury, illegal detention, casino operation, drug trafficking and prostitution, according to the Wenzhou Prosecutor’s Office.

The criminal gangs, which operate in Myanmar’s northern Kokang region, which borders China’s Yunnan province, are accused of using weapons and coercion to carry out the crimes, including large-scale telecommunications fraud and internet scams targeting Chinese nationals.

Wang Sheng, deputy chief prosecutor of the Wenzhou Prosecutor’s Office, said the case involves thousands of suspects because major criminal gangs and their affiliates have extensive networks.

“Some of the crimes took place on the Chinese side of the border, specifically targeted Chinese nationals and endangered the common interests of the international community, thereby giving China jurisdiction over these crimes under its criminal law and international treaties,” he said. he said.

Wang added that thousands of suspects linked to criminal gangs in northern Myanmar are currently being investigated by prosecutors in Wenzhou and other locations in China.

The 39 suspects wanted on Monday include Mg Myin Shaunt Phyin, Ma Thiri Maung and Myin Shut Lan, who are all members of a family-run syndicate founded by Mye Shout Hkyann.

Mye Shout Hkyann was a former Member of Parliament of Myanmar’s Shan State and a former member of the Kokang Self-Governing Area Steering Committee. He committed suicide before the Myanmar police could arrest him on November 15, 2023.

Prosecutors in Wenzhou reported that 16 defendants in the transnational criminal case are Myanmar nationals.

Wang said the family-run syndicate has set up several gambling and crime houses in Kokang since 2015, recruiting staff to carry out telecommunications fraud, among other criminal activities. There was a time when nearly 10,000 recruits worked in these dens, Wang added.

A 29-year-old man from Guangdong Province, surnamed Li, entered Myanmar illegally in September 2023 in search of lucrative employment opportunities.

“I had to make hundreds of fraudulent calls every day. I had to successfully attract at least three victims a day. Otherwise, I was beaten,” Li said.

The family-run syndicate provided a safe haven for various fraudulent activities, such as fake investments, impersonating public officials and counterfeit credit services, defrauding victims of billions of Chinese yuan.

Wang, the deputy chief prosecutor, said the syndicate runs casinos exclusively for Chinese nationals, with gambling funds reaching billions of yuan. It hosted illegal activities such as organizing prostitution involving Chinese women and selling drugs to Chinese nationals.

Wang Zao, deputy head of the Wenzhou public security bureau, said the family-run syndicate used its accumulated power and influence over time, as well as hired guns, to maintain control.

Na Xin, leader of the Kunming Public Security Bureau’s crime investigation team, said Mg Myin Shaunt Phyin is a militia leader who used armed personnel to protect the syndicate’s operations. “The family has amassed enormous profits from these crime pits,” Na added.

Since China launched its special crackdown on telecom fraud in July 2023, more than 53,000 suspects have been extradited from northern Myanmar to China through joint law enforcement efforts, the Ministry of Public Security reported in November.

In October 2023, the union attempted to relocate its recruits to evade police control.

“My grandfather asked me to transfer these people when the investigation starts and bring them back later,” said Myin Shut Lan, Mye Shout Hkyann’s granddaughter.

On October 20 last year, some of the union’s recruits tried to escape after realizing they could not return to China. The union guards opened fire on them, killing four Chinese nationals and injuring four others.

The legal rights of all defendants, including Myanmar nationals, will be strictly protected in accordance with the law, said Wang Sheng, deputy chief prosecutor.

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