Beijing: China has executed 11 members of a notorious mafia family that ran scam centers in Myanmar along its northeastern border, state media report. The Ming family members were sentenced in September for crimes including homicide, illegal detention, fraud, and operating gambling dens by a court in China's Zhejiang province.
According to BBC, the Mings were one of many clans that dominated the town of Laukkaing, transforming it from an impoverished backwater into a hub of casinos and red-light districts. Their scam empire collapsed in 2023 when they were detained and handed over to China by ethnic militias that had taken control of Laukkaing during an escalation in their conflict with Myanmar's army.
The executions are seen as Beijing's message of deterrence to potential scammers. However, the scam business has now shifted to Myanmar's border with Thailand and to Cambodia and Laos, where China wields less influence. The UN estimates that hundreds of thousands have been trafficked to run online scams in Myanmar and other parts of Southeast Asia, with many Chinese nationals among both the perpetrators and victims.
Frustrated by Myanmar military's inaction, from which it likely benefited, Beijing reportedly supported an offensive by an ethnic insurgent alliance in Shan State in late 2023. The alliance captured significant military territory and overran Laukkaing, a key border town.
The Ming family is the first of the Myanmar scam bosses to face execution by China, but not the last. Five members of the Bai family were also sentenced to death in November, and trials for the Wei and Liu families are ongoing. The closed-door trial of the Ming family allowed over 160 attendees, including victims' families, during the sentencing.
China's highest court, which rejected their appeals in November, reported that the Ming mafia's operations and gambling dens generated over 10bn yuan ($1.4bn; £1bn) from 2015 to 2023. Their crimes resulted in the deaths of 14 Chinese citizens and injuries to many others. Over 20 other Ming family members received jail sentences ranging from five years to life. The clan's patriarch, Ming Xuechang, committed suicide in 2023 while evading detention, as reported by Myanmar's military.
State media documentaries aired confessions to underscore Chinese authorities' determination to dismantle scam networks. The Mings, among other influential families, rose to power in Laukkaing after the town's warlord was ousted in a military operation led by Min Aung Hlaing, who became Myanmar's military leader after the 2021 coup.
Ming Xuechang led one of Laukkaing's infamous scam centers, Crouching Tiger Villa. Initially dependent on gambling and prostitution, these families gradually ventured into online fraud, often staffed by kidnapped individuals forced into scams. Within their heavily guarded compounds, violence, beatings, and torture were reportedly common, according to testimonies from freed workers.