Chinese state television has broadcast chilling confessions from members of notorious crime families who ran billion dollar scam operations in Myanmar, marking an escalation in Beijing’s public campaign against Southeast Asian cybercrime syndicates.
Chen Dawei, a member of the Wei family, appeared handcuffed and seated in a padded interrogation cell during a program aired by China Central Television (CCTV). The broadcast showed him admitting to allegedly ordering a murder described by investigators as a human offering to celebrate a sworn brotherhood with a business partner. When asked if the victim was a living person, Chen responded with apparent indifference, stating he did not feel much about the crime.
The Wei family is one of four powerful criminal clans that controlled Laukkaing, a Myanmar border town that became a hub for cybercrime operations. The families rose to power in the early 2000s after Myanmar’s military leader Min Aung Hlaing ousted the town’s former dominant warlord and installed cooperative allies including Bai Suocheng, who was appointed chairman of Laukkaing district and commanded a 2,000 strong militia.
The Wei, Liu, Ming, and Bai families transformed the impoverished border region into a glittering casino city, running compounds that housed gambling operations, prostitution rings, and massive scam farms. According to Chinese investigators, the Wei family had one member of parliament and another military camp commander, while the Lius controlled key infrastructure including water and electricity and exerted strong influence over local security forces.
The crime operations expanded dramatically during Myanmar’s civil war following the 2021 military coup, with criminal syndicates exploiting four years of devastating conflict to grow their business. The families made billions through cyberscam operations that trapped Chinese nationals in compounds where victims were forced to defraud strangers through sophisticated online schemes.
Workers who refused to participate faced brutal punishments. Testimonies from freed workers describe a culture of violence including fingers chopped off with knives, electric shocks from batons, and regular beatings. Many victims were lured by fake job offers, particularly attractive amid China’s economic slowdown.
In 2023, China launched a crackdown following a coordinated rebel offensive against the Myanmar military in October that year. Myanmar authorities arrested members of the crime families and handed them to China, where they now face charges ranging from fraud to human trafficking and murder.
Eleven members and associates of the Ming crime family were sentenced to death in September 2025 by the Wenzhou Intermediate People’s Court in eastern China’s Zhejiang Province. Five members of the Bai family have also received death sentences, while dozens of others are serving lengthy prison terms. Prosecution continues for the Liu and Wei families.
The televised confessions form part of a sustained propaganda campaign by Chinese authorities designed to warn citizens about the dangers of Southeast Asia’s scam industry and demonstrate Beijing’s commitment to eradicating the criminal networks. One investigator stated the message clearly: no matter who you are or where you are, if you commit crimes against Chinese people, you will pay the price. The official used a Chinese idiom meaning to kill the chicken to scare the monkey.
Since October 2023, Myanmar’s ruling junta has deported more than 53,000 Chinese nationals suspected of involvement in online scam operations back to China. Chinese state media reported that since 2023, authorities have arrested more than 57,000 Chinese nationals for their role in cyberscams.
The crackdown gained additional momentum in early 2025 when Chinese actor Wang Xing was kidnapped by scam operators in Thailand under the false pretense of a film audition. He was transported to a scam compound in Myawaddy, Myanmar, before Thai authorities located him on January 7, 2025, following reports from his family. The high profile case generated significant public discussion on Chinese social media platforms.
In February 2025, Chinese President Xi Jinping thanked Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra for crackdown efforts that included cutting electricity and internet services to five scam hubs along the Myanmar border. Chinese authorities identified 36 major Chinese telecommunications scam gangs operating in the Myawaddy region with more than 100,000 people running phone scams to defraud victims.
According to the United States Institute of Peace, more than 43 billion dollars is lost to scams in Southeast Asia by regional crime groups annually, representing almost 40 percent of the combined gross domestic product of Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar. The United Nations estimates that as many as 120,000 people may be working in online scam centers in Myanmar, with another 100,000 trapped in Cambodia and thousands more in similar facilities across Southeast Asia.
Chinese officials have made the crackdown highly visible through television broadcasts showing investigators on operations, rescued victims, and gangster confessions. The 2023 film No More Bets, which dramatized the issue, became a blockbuster and significantly raised public awareness.
One investigator interviewed on state television reflected on the campaign’s impact, stating that investigating these scam gangs made him realize how fortunate people in China are and how important a sense of security is to Chinese citizens. Chinese authorities report that cyberscam incidents in China have steadily declined and that the industry is now effectively curbed, though experts warn that criminal syndicates continue adapting and relocating operations.
