The Chinese ambassador to Myanmar Mr. Chen Hai and the Myanmar Foreign Minister Than Swe met last week and discussed how the two countries could cooperate to fight cyber fraud and online gambling.

Criminals have set up scam call centres manned by trafficked people in casino enclaves in border areas, particularly in Shwe Kokko on the Thai border in Karen State, where many of the establishments are run by or protected by the Karen Border Guard Force under the Myanmar military.

According to the United States Institute for Peace (USIP) “as many as 10,000 people are enslaved there, tortured or, according to some accounts, threatened with having their organs harvested if they fail to generate adequate revenue from operating scams.”

The Chinese ambassador told Foreign Minister Than Swe that Chinese citizens trapped and forced to work at such establishments must be rescued and Myanmar must get rid of cyber criminals and online gambling hubs.

The Ambassador, Mr. Chen Hai, said cyber fraud is rampant in Myanmar’s border areas, but bilateral cooperation between Myanmar and China and trilateral cooperation between Myanmar, China and Thailand has yielded some good initial results. But, all three countries need to carry out more joint suppression of such crimes.

At the meeting, the ambassador and the foreign minister also discussed the implementation of joint Sino Myanmar projects and mutual cooperation in the international arena, especially in dealings with ASEAN and the UN.