LANGKAWI: Asean nations will closely cooperate with China to combat transnational crime, including online scam syndicates, announced Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hassan.
"Online crime and scams, China has nothing to do with this, but China is a country partner that is working together with Asean to resolve issues on scammers and trans-border crimes.
"We will work closely with China," said Mohamad briefly after the Asean Foreign Ministers’ retreat (AMM) concluded on Sunday (Jan 19) afternoon.
Mohamad addressed reporters during a press conference following the AMM.
On Saturday, he mentioned that Beijing’s proposal to end online scam syndicates in Asean would be discussed at the AMM on Sunday (Jan 19).
On Jan 16, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on Asean countries to crack down on online gambling and telecommunications fraud, stating that scam syndicates in the region have harmed citizens of China and other countries.
Wang expressed China's willingness to strengthen cooperation with Asean countries in law enforcement and security to tackle the issue.
The Myanmar civil war, sparked by the military junta's coup d’état in February 2021, has created lawless border regions, allowing criminal syndicates to establish "scam-parks" where foreign nationals are trafficked and forced into online scams.
Earlier this month, a Chinese actor was rescued from one such scam park along the Myanmar side of the Thai-Myanmar border after being abducted and trafficked there.
Over the years, Malaysia has also rescued numerous youngsters enslaved by foreign scam syndicates after being lured to Southeast Asian countries.
Victims reported being promised high-paying jobs and accommodation, only to be confined to compounds to carry out online scams.
Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Mohamad Alamin stated in October last year that a total of 707 Malaysians had been rescued from overseas job scam syndicates.
In 2023, the United Nations estimated that at least 120,000 people could be trapped in scam compounds in Myanmar.
