Authorities in Myanmar’s largest city, Yangon, have jailed 69 individuals for their involvement in online fraud, as reported by the junta-backed Myanmar Alinn newspaper on Friday.
Among those convicted, six—including two Chinese nationals—received the maximum sentences for online financial scamming, while the remaining individuals received lighter penalties.
Myanmar, along with Cambodia and Laos, has become a significant hub for extensive online fraud operations in recent years, affecting hundreds of thousands of victims, including those who have been defrauded and individuals trafficked by criminal gangs to work in these centers, according to U.N. and other investigators.
Lawyer Gyi Myint, who observed the recent case, shared with Radio Free Asia that the heaviest penalties were imposed on the two Chinese nationals, Lauk Fa and Zhang Yui (also known as Wu Kone), each sentenced to a total of 21 years in prison on three charges. “These are the maximum punishments,” he stated.
Lauk Fa and Zhang Yui faced charges of fraud and counterfeiting and were found in possession of fake identification documents while living in Myanmar, as reported by Myanmar Alinn. Among the other individuals sentenced, one woman named Moe Moe Kyi received a three-year sentence for stealing money or property under the Telecommunications Law.
Authorities arrested the group in Tamwe township at a business called Support Fix Company, seizing materials used for scamming in October 2023. According to the report, Support Fix is owned by Zhan Tu Company, run by Yang Longxing, a Chinese national who fled during the crackdown.
Joint efforts by China, Myanmar’s junta authorities, and ethnic minority insurgent groups have led to the arrest and deportation of tens of thousands of Chinese nationals, primarily from areas of northeast Myanmar near the Chinese border.
In total, 95 people were arrested in connection with Support Fix Company’s online fraud, including five men and two women found in an apartment in Yangon’s Insein township, as stated by the newspaper.
Lawyer Gyi Myint noted the possibility of those convicted being released under a junta amnesty. Thousands of prisoners are periodically freed from Myanmar’s jails, often to commemorate holidays. However, he added that prisoners are often re-arrested shortly after their release, which has drawn criticism from rights groups.
“Except for those held on political charges, the rest will likely be freed under an amnesty,” the lawyer explained. “Then the military council will announce to the world how many prisoners they’ve released.”