China executes 11 members of Myanmar scam syndicate
China has executed 11 people linked to a powerful crime family that ran large-scale scam centres in northern Myanmar, state media reported, in the toughest punishment yet in Beijing’s push to shut down cross-border fraud networks.
Those executed were members of the Ming family, a mafia-style syndicate that helped turn the border town of Laukkaing into a hub for online scams, casinos and red-light districts. A court in China sentenced them to death in September for crimes including homicide, illegal detention, fraud and running gambling operations, with the Supreme People’s Court later approving the sentences after finding the evidence “conclusive and sufficient”.
The Ming family was one of several dominant groups in northern Myanmar that controlled hundreds of compounds where people were forced to carry out online scams. Many workers were trafficked and held against their will, with survivors describing routine beatings and torture inside heavily guarded facilities.
According to Chinese authorities, the Ming syndicate’s operations generated more than 10bn yuan ($1.4bn) between 2015 and 2023. Prosecutors said their crimes led to the deaths of 14 Chinese citizens and left many others injured. In one incident in October 2023, four people were killed when gunfire broke out at a scam compound as the group tried to move workers after learning police were planning a raid.
The family was led by Ming Xuechang, who also held political office in Myanmar before killing himself in 2023 while trying to avoid detention. His son, Ming Guoping, a leader in a junta-aligned border guard force, and his granddaughter, Ming Zhenzhen, were among those executed. State media said the condemned met with close relatives before their deaths.
China’s move follows a dramatic collapse of the Ming family’s power base in 2023, when ethnic militias fighting Myanmar’s army seized control of Laukkaing and handed key figures over to Beijing. The crackdown came after years of pressure from families of trafficked workers and growing international attention on the region’s scam industry.
Online fraud compounds across Southeast Asia have stolen billions of dollars from victims worldwide, with schemes ranging from fake romance to cryptocurrency scams. The United Nations estimates that up to 120,000 people may be working in scam centres in Myanmar, with another 100,000 in Cambodia. While many victims are Chinese, operations have expanded into multiple languages and now target people across the globe.
Beijing has increased cooperation with neighbouring countries and aired televised confessions to underline its zero-tolerance stance. With the executions, China is also sending a warning signal. As one foreign ministry spokesperson put it, Beijing will continue to intensify efforts to “eradicate the scourge of gambling and fraud.”
Despite the crackdown, analysts say scam networks have already begun shifting operations toward areas where China’s influence is weaker, including parts of Thailand’s border regions, Cambodia and Laos.
