Documentary traces Myanmar fraud crackdown

A new documentary has revealed the brutal conditions inside telecom fraud compounds in northern Myanmar and detailed how Chinese police moved to dismantle major criminal groups operating there.

Titled The Demise of Telecom Fraud in Northern Myanmar, the three-part documentary was jointly produced by the Ministry of Public Security and China Media Group.

The first episode, which aired on Monday night, traced the rapid expansion of fraud compounds in areas long affected by armed divisions and weak governance, where criminal networks lured Chinese nationals across the border with promises of quick wealth.

Instead, many found themselves trapped in compounds marked by violence, debt and forced participation in fraud.

One returnee surnamed Tang said he was smuggled into northern Myanmar in 2021 and entered a fraud compound in the Wa State area. After failing to meet performance targets, he was forced to sign an IOU for 70,000 yuan ($10,400) and was repeatedly sold between compounds.

Tang said he was beaten almost daily. When his injuries became infected and he could no longer walk, the company is alleged to have suggested he sell a kidney to repay his debt. He later underwent surgery after being told a donor match had been found, and showed long surgical scars on camera.

At the height of the telecom fraud boom, Mengbo in Wa State alone had 265 fraud sites involving nearly 60,000 people, according to the documentary.

It also showed how senior figures accused of protecting fraud operations amassed enormous wealth. It was alleged that Bao Yanban, a former local official in Wa State, had stored so much cash that money was sometimes spread across rooftops and courtyards to prevent it from becoming moldy.

Chinese police began intensifying a nationwide crackdown in the summer of 2023.

On Sept 26 that year, police arrested Bao Junfeng, deputy commander of the United Wa State Army and commander of its 318th Brigade, along with members of his group in Kunming, Yunnan province. Bao was accused of setting up a company that provided armed protection for fraud operations. Police also seized jewelry, luxury watches and high-end vehicles from his residence.

Days later, on Oct 1, a special police team arrested Wei Qingtao, Liu Zhengqi and other key figures linked to major criminal families in Myanmar's Kokang region after they entered China.

A major turning point came with the Oct 20 shooting incident in Kokang.

According to the documentary, members of the Ming family, which controlled several fraud compounds, attempted to move people out after coming under pressure from Chinese police. Some realized they were not actually being sent back to China and tried to escape. Armed personnel opened fire, leaving four people dead and four others injured.

Ming Zhenzhen, a key member of the Ming family, said, "We definitely couldn't let the situation escalate, so we tried to contain it as much as possible. Since they were already dead, we arranged for the bodies to be buried."

Investigators later cross-checked over 1,000 witness statements and reconstructed key locations linked to the shooting.

In line with a China-Myanmar law enforcement cooperation mechanism, Chinese police were for the first time allowed to enter fraud compounds in Kokang to conduct on-site investigations.

They found three badly decomposed bodies at a burial site. Forensic examinations showed that all three victims had died from gunshot wounds, with bullets still lodged in two of the bodies.

The case became a breakthrough in the broader crackdown. On Nov 12, 2023, Chinese police issued arrest warrants for Ming Xuechang, Ming Guoping, Ming Julan and Ming Zhenzhen. Three were arrested and handed over to China four days later, while Ming Xuechang died by suicide, according to the documentary.

On Jan 30, 2024, a chartered flight carrying key members of four major criminal families in Kokang, including Bai Suocheng, Bai Yingcang, Wei Huairen and Liu Zhengxiang, arrived in Kunming.

Their capture marked what the documentary described as a major phased victory in China's campaign against telecom fraud networks in northern Myanmar.