More than 620 fraud suspects repatriated

More than 620 Chinese suspects in Myawaddy, Myanmar, have been repatriated in a crackdown on cross-border telecommunications fraud jointly launched by China, Myanmar and Thailand, China's Ministry of Public Security said on Monday.

The ministry said in a statement that officials from the three countries held a ministerial-level meeting in Bangkok on Friday to coordinate efforts against telecom and online fraud.

The meeting marked a milestone in joint law enforcement efforts, with participants agreeing to establish a regular coordination mechanism and continue repatriating suspects.

Officials called for stronger information sharing, improved repatriation procedures and more effective measures to combat the fraud, which they said remains a serious problem that harms economic growth, social stability and the rights of people in multiple countries.

China, Myanmar and Thailand need to deepen cooperation to target criminal organizations, reduce their operating space and eradicate such crimes, officials said. They also called for greater law enforcement collaboration with other nations to maintain regional stability.

The meeting came less than two weeks after Myanmar repatriated the first group of Chinese fraud suspects from Myawaddy. On Feb 20, Chinese police escorted 200 suspects back to China on chartered flights.

Authorities have intensified their crackdown on fraud operations in Myawaddy since January, following reports of Chinese nationals disappearing at the Thailand-Myanmar border.

Among them was actor Wang Xing, whose alleged kidnapping case drew widespread attention.

The Ministry of Public Security said it successfully rescued Wang and several others and brought them back to China.

Wang had arrived in Bangkok on Jan 3 before being taken to Myawaddy and sold to multiple telecom fraud operations, the ministry said.

wangqingyun@chinadaily.com.cn