UPDATES WITH STATEMENT FROM CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY
By Saadet Gokce and Berk Kutay Gokmen
ISTANBUL (AA)—China on Thursday executed 11 criminals from northern Myanmar-based gangs, including key figures in telecom fraud groups.
The executions were carried forward in Wenzhou city in eastern China's Zhejiang Province after the 11 were sentenced to death in September last year, according to the state-run news agency Xinhua.
Last year, over 7,600 Chinese nationals suspected of telecom fraud were repatriated to China. In February, China, Myanmar, and Thailand launched a joint operation to repatriate fraud suspects from Myanmar's Myawaddy region.
Since Myanmar’s 2021 coup, which triggered a civil war, scam hubs have spread across the country's poorly regulated border regions.
Following the executions, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said that Beijing has worked with Myanmar and other nations “to combat cross border telecom fraud and eliminate the telecom fraud criminals.”
“These efforts have achieved effective results. China will continue deepening international cooperation on law enforcement and fight telecom fraud and eliminate these crimes,” Guo told a news conference in Beijing.