11 Myanmar syndicate members executed

Eleven members of a family-operated syndicate in northern Myanmar have been executed following the approval of their death sentences by China's top court.

The announcement was made on Thursday through the Supreme People's Court's official WeChat account. The executions were carried out by the Wenzhou Intermediate People's Court in Zhejiang province, where the individuals were sentenced to death for multiple offenses, including intentional homicide, intentional injury, illegal detention, fraud, and running illegal casinos.

Before the executions, the criminals were given the right to meet their family members in line with the law, the SPC said.

After the Wenzhou court sentenced the 11 individuals, including Mg Myin Shaunt Phyin and Ma Thiri Maung, to death on Sept 29, they appealed to a higher court. In November, the Zhejiang High People's Court rejected their appeals and upheld the original ruling.

In China, a death sentence made by lower courts must be submitted to the SPC for review. The sentence can only be conducted after it is approved by the SPC.

According to a statement released by the SPC on Thursday, a criminal group led by Mg Myin Shaunt Phyin and Ma Thiri Maung had set up several scam compounds in Myanmar's Kokang region since 2015, and collaborated with other gangs that provided funding and armed support to commit a range of offenses, such as telecom fraud, casino operations, intentional killing, intentional injury, and illegal detention.

The syndicate's crimes resulted in the deaths of 14 Chinese nationals and injuries to several others, with total proceeds from gambling and fraud exceeding 10 billion yuan ($1.4 billion), the statement noted.

The SPC determined that the nature of the crimes committed by these 11 individuals was particularly egregious, with exceptionally severe circumstances and consequences, saying that their offenses were deemed extremely serious, warranting strict punishment in line with the law.

It said that the original ruling should be supported because the facts were clear, the evidence was sufficient, the convictions were accurate, the sentencing was appropriate, and the legal procedures were properly followed, leading to the approval of their death sentences.

Other members of the criminal group have also been handed down sentences by the Wenzhou court based on each convicted person's criminal acts, circumstances and the degree of harm caused to society.

In response to the executions of the 11 people, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Thursday that for some time, China has been actively cooperating with Myanmar and other countries to combat cross-border telecom fraud crimes, jointly working to eradicate the scourge of online gambling and electronic fraud, and to safeguard people's lives and property as well as the order of exchanges and cooperation among regional countries, achieving significant results. China will continue to deepen international law enforcement cooperation and intensify efforts to combat online gambling, electronic fraud, and other related cross-border criminal activities, jointly working to eliminate the scourge of gambling and fraud.

In recent years, with intensified joint law enforcement cooperation and anti-fraud operations between China and Myanmar, a number of cases have entered the judicial system. In another high-profile case, five members of a 21-person family-run syndicate in northern Myanmar were also sentenced to death by a Chinese court in Guangdong province in November for multiple charges.

Additionally, in October, three other individuals suspected of operating for an extended period in Myanmar and leveraging armed forces to carry out criminal activities were indicted on multiple offenses by prosecutors in Quanzhou, Fujian province.

caoyin@chinadaily.com.cn