Bai Suocheng, Wei Chaoren, and Liu Zhengxiang, leaders of three of the four families that ruled Laukkaing on Myanmar’s northeastern border with China, have been arrested and extradited to China. They were taken on a chartered flight alongside seven others, marking a significant twist in the downfall of the military-backed Chinese mafia in Myanmar.
This development poses another setback for Myanmar’s military regime, which has been losing power in the face of organized ethnic armies and ongoing conflict since it seized control in early 2021. General Min Aung Hlaing, known to have supported the Chinese mafia in Laukkaing, has faced increasing pressure from China to curb the scam operations in the area, where victims are often trapped and forced to engage in telephone and online scams.
The coordinated attacks by three insurgent armies in late October of last year were partly prompted by China’s growing concern over the criminal activities across its border, leading to the decline of the mafia families that had controlled Laukkaing since 2009. The fourth family leader, Liu Guoxi, passed away in 2020.
Under their reign, Laukkaing transformed from a struggling border town into a hub of criminal activity, particularly for lucrative scam centers. The UN estimates that hundreds of thousands of people have been trafficked into these operations across Southeast Asia.
China’s Ministry of Public Security has highlighted that these criminal groups have been involved in violent crimes such as murder and illegal detention. In December, Beijing issued rewards for the arrest of these leaders, branding them “ring leaders,” and sent a team to collaborate with local authorities in Myanmar.
The Ministry reported that approximately 44,000 individuals suspected of being involved in these scam centers have been repatriated to China from Myanmar. The arrest of Bai, Wei, and Liu has been hailed as a “landmark achievement” by Chinese authorities, with footage showing armed police escorting the suspects upon their arrival in Kunming.