China has executed 11 individuals connected to cyber scam centres operating in Myanmar, including what authorities described as “core members” of the criminal network, according to state media reports.

 

 

 

 

 

Those executed were members of the Ming family criminal gang and were found guilty of multiple offences, including intentional homicide, large-scale fraud and the operation of illegal casinos. State broadcaster China Central Television said the group played a key role in online and telecommunications scam operations run across the Myanmar border.

 

 

 

 

 

Cyber scam networks worth billions of dollars have expanded rapidly across Southeast Asia, particularly in Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia. Reports by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime have highlighted that while these operations generate huge profits, many people working within the scam centres are themselves victims of human trafficking.

 

 

 

 

 

China’s Foreign Ministry said the country is actively working with Myanmar and other neighbouring nations to clamp down on cross-border telecommunications fraud. Speaking at a regular briefing in Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said joint efforts to eliminate online gambling and telecom fraud had achieved “significant results” in protecting lives and property.

 

 

 

 

 

Investigators revealed that the Ming family syndicate was involved in fraud operations worth more than 10 billion yuan, about $1.4 billion. Authorities said the gang’s activities led to the deaths of 14 Chinese citizens and left many others injured.

 

 

 

 

 

China’s Supreme People’s Court approved the executions, and officials confirmed that the convicted individuals were allowed to meet their relatives before the sentences were carried out.

 

 

 

 

 

Public scrutiny of scam centres intensified after the high-profile kidnapping of Chinese actor Wang Xing in a Thai town near the Myanmar border in early 2025. The incident triggered coordinated crackdowns by China and neighbouring countries, leading to the repatriation of hundreds of Chinese citizens who had been working in scam centres.