Man rejected by fraud group over typing sentenced for border crossing

Three men were sentenced to prison after illegally crossing the border into Myanmar, including one who was returning after being rejected by a telecom fraud group due to his lack of typing skills.

According to a notice released by the official WeChat account for the intermediate people's court of Qiandongnan Miao and Dong autonomous prefecture, Guizhou province on Monday, they were caught by Yunnan police in February before being sentenced to between four and six months in prison and a fine of 6800 to 7000 yuan ($934 to $962) for illegally crossing a national border. All three people had prior criminal histories. 

The first defendant, surnamed Wu, crossed into Myanmar and returned to China in July and Oct 2019 and March 2020. When attempting to sneak into Myanmar again in Oct 2020 to work for a telecom fraud group, he was rejected for being unable to type.

The second defendant, surnamed Huang, snuck into Myanmar and returned to China in Jan and July 2019. When he was planning to sneak into Myanmar again in Aug 2020, he was apprehended by police.

The third defendant, surnamed Yang, crossed into Myanmar and returned home in March 2019. He again illegally snuck into Myanmar in May 2020 before turning himself in to police.

In recent years, China has strengthened its efforts to crack down on telecom fraud crime. On July 25, Chen Hai, Chinese Ambassador to Myanmar, met with Than Swe, Myanmar's Minister for Foreign Affairs, to coordinate with the Myanmar side about cooperating to fight criminal activities within Myanmar's borders, Xinhua News Agency reported.

In addition, China advises its citizens to be cautious about job opportunities in Myanmar that claim to offer high salaries. These job offers are usually circulated by telecom fraud gangs.