Chinese Court Sentences 11 Members of Ming Family to Death Over Myanmar Scam Operations
- Rahaman Hadisur
- 5 hours ago
- 2 min read
Hadisur Rahman, JadeTimes Staff
H. Rahman is a Jadetimes news reporter covering Asia
A Chinese court has sentenced 11 members of the notorious Ming family to death for running extensive scam and criminal operations in Myanmar, state media reported. The ruling came alongside sentences for dozens of other family members, with punishments ranging from suspended death sentences to life imprisonment and jail terms of five to 24 years.
The Ming family, part of one of four clans controlling the town of Laukkaing near the China-Myanmar border, had turned the sleepy border town into a hub for gambling, drugs, and scam centres. Chinese authorities said the family’s criminal activities, active since 2015, included telecommunications fraud, illegal casinos, drug trafficking, and prostitution, generating over 10 billion yuan ($1.4 billion).
Myanmar authorities cracked down on these operations in 2023, arresting many clan members and transferring them to China. Among the crimes cited by the court were the deaths of several scam centre workers, including incidents in which employees were shot to prevent them from fleeing back to China.
The Ming family’s scam centres, including the infamous “Crouching Tiger Villa,” held thousands of workers in harsh conditions. The operations were part of a larger “scamdemic” network, which has ensnared over 100,000 foreign nationals forced into online fraud targeting victims globally.
An offensive by insurgent groups two years ago displaced the Myanmar military in parts of Shan State and allowed China to facilitate the handover of criminals to its authorities. The family patriarch, Ming Xuechang, reportedly committed suicide, while other members confessed to their crimes.
China’s harsh sentencing reflects its intent to clamp down on cross-border scam operations. The move has also prompted regional action, including Thailand’s crackdown on scam centres near Myanmar. Despite these efforts, similar criminal enterprises continue to operate in Cambodia and parts of Myanmar.
The court’s verdict underscores Beijing’s determination to target organized crime exploiting its border regions and serves as a warning to syndicates running fraudulent operations abroad.
