China and Five Southeast Asian Countries, Including Cambodia, to Launch Joint Crackdown on Scam Crimes

Ministerial-Level Meeting of Six Countries Held in Kunming
Consensus Reached on the Seriousness of Scam Crimes and Joint Crackdown
Agreement Signed... Pledge to Launch Joint Operations and Intensive Crackdowns

China and five Southeast Asian countries have agreed to carry out a joint crackdown on cross-border telecommunications and online scam crimes.

Scene of the arrest of members of a romance scam organization in Pattaya, Thailand. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

According to Xinhua News Agency on November 15, a ministerial-level meeting on online scam crimes was held the previous day in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province, with officials from China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam in attendance. During the meeting, the six countries exchanged views and reached a consensus on joint action against scam crimes.

The participating countries agreed that the current situation of cross-border crime victimization has reached a serious level, threatening regional economic development and social stability, and severely infringing upon the legitimate rights and interests of their citizens. The law enforcement agencies of the six countries pledged to deepen cooperation, conduct joint crackdowns, and focus on eliminating the bases of scam organizations in order to firmly protect the lives and property of their citizens. They also plan to strengthen information sharing, continue the repatriation and transfer of criminals, and enhance the efficiency of their enforcement activities.

The six countries signed an agreement, reaffirming their strong commitment to jointly crack down on scam organizations operating in the region. In addition to the participating countries, representatives from the International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO/Interpol), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and the Lancang-Mekong Integrated Law Enforcement and Security Cooperation Center also attended the meeting.

This year, China, Myanmar, and Thailand established a mechanism to jointly crack down on gambling and scam crimes in the Myawaddy region of Myanmar, resulting in Myanmar repatriating 5,500 criminal suspects to China. In addition, police from China and Laos collaborated to raid the hideouts of criminal organizations in the "Golden Triangle" border area of Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand, arresting over 600 individuals. Chinese and Vietnamese police launched a special joint operation against scam crimes, apprehending 149 people involved. Chinese and Cambodian police also conducted intensive crackdowns, arresting 2,141 individuals in Phnom Penh and other areas, all of whom were repatriated to China.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.