According to reports from state media, 11 members of a notorious family that controlled fraudulent schemes in Myanmar have been executed in China.
A court in Zhejiang province sentenced the members of the Ming family in September, convicting them of serious offenses including murder, illegal detention, fraud, and operating gambling establishments.
The Ming family was part of a group of clans that managed the town of Laukkai in Myanmar, which is located near the border with China. Under their control, this troubled settlement became a hub for gambling and vice establishments.
The empire of fraudsters came to an end in 2023 after Myanmar authorities arrested them and handed them over to Chinese authorities. This occurred as part of repressive measures prompted by pressure from Beijing, their strongest ally.
As a result of their activities, thousands of Chinese workers fell victim — they were among the hundreds of thousands of people who were illegally trafficked to these establishments, where they were forced to deceive people abroad.
Last year, there was a surge of interest in a little-known actor on Chinese internet, who, upon arriving in Thailand for filming, found himself in a fraudulent center in Myanmar. These stories intensified discontent in Beijing, which had long insisted that the junta in Myanmar take control of the fraudulent structures.
The court ruling established that the operations of the fraudsters and their gambling establishments generated over 10 billion yuan (approximately 1.4 billion USD or 1 billion GBP) from 2015 to 2023.
As a result of their criminal activities, 14 Chinese citizens lost their lives, and many others were injured, as stated in the court's decision.
