China raises stakes in cyberscam crackdown in Myanmar, though loopholes remain

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Myanmar police hand over five telecom and internet fraud suspects to Chinese police at Yangon International Airport in Yangon, Myanmar, Aug 26, 2023. Confession videos and national TV broadcasts of the arrests for high-profile suspects are all showcasing a new intensity in China's crackdown against cyberscams. — Chinese embassy in Myanmar/Xinhua via AP

BANGKOK: China is ramping up a crackdown on online scams operated by criminal syndicates in border areas of military-ruled Myanmar in an effort that has included a shootout, confession videos and national TV broadcasts of arrests of high-profile suspects.

But the drive has been confined to a limited area and appears unlikely to root out the kingpins behind the human trafficking and other illicit activities aimed at cheating people of their savings via phone calls and online overtures, schemes that are thought to generate tens of billions of dollars in revenue a year.