BEIJING: A new documentary has revealed the brutal conditions inside telecom fraud compounds in northern Myanmar and detailed how Chinese police moved to dismantle major criminal groups operating there.
Titled The Demise of Telecom Fraud in Northern Myanmar, the three-part documentary was jointly produced by the Ministry of Public Security and China Media Group.
The first episode, which aired on Monday night, traced the rapid expansion of fraud compounds in areas long affected by armed divisions and weak governance, where criminal networks lured Chinese nationals across the border with promises of quick wealth.
Instead, many found themselves trapped in compounds marked by violence, debt and forced participation in fraud.
One returnee surnamed Tang said he was smuggled into northern Myanmar in 2021 and entered a fraud compound in the Wa State area. After failing to meet performance targets, he was forced to sign an IOU for 70,000 yuan ($10,400) and was repeatedly sold between compounds.
Tang said he was beaten almost daily. When his injuries became infected and he could no longer walk, the company is alleged to have suggested he sell a kidney to repay his debt.
He later underwent surgery after being told a donor match had been found, and showed long surgical scars on camera.
At the height of the telecom fraud boom, Mengbo in Wa State alone had 265 fraud sites involving nearly 60,000 people, according to the documentary.
It also showed how senior figures accused of protecting fraud operations amassed enormous wealth. It was alleged that Bao Yanban, a former local official in Wa State, had stored so much cash that money was sometimes spread across rooftops and courtyards to prevent it from becoming moldy. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
