Myanmar Approves Death Penalty for 'Violent' Online Scam Crimes Under New Anti-Fraud Law

Myanmar's military-backed parliament has approved a new anti-fraud law that authorises the death penalty for the most serious online scam offences, including cases involving violent coercion, torture and deaths linked to cyberscam operations.

The legislation was passed on Tuesday in Naypyidaw and marks the first law enacted under the country's new government led by President Min Aung Hlaing, according to lawmakers who confirmed the measure.

Over the years, Myanmar has become one of the central hubs in Southeast Asia's sprawling online scam industry, where organised criminal networks have targeted victims around the world through romance fraud and cryptocurrency investment schemes.

While the illicit business attracts some willing recruits, numerous foreign nationals who have since been repatriated have reported being trafficked into scam compounds, where they were allegedly detained, tortured and forced to deceive victims online.

Myanmar has also faced mounting pressure from countries including the United States and China to curb the industry's rapid expansion.

Myanmar Death Penalty Law Targets Violent Scam Operations

The legislation, formally titled the 'Anti-Online Scam Bill', was approved during a joint session of parliament, with Speaker Aung Lin Dwe announcing its passage during a live television broadcast.

Lower house lawmaker Aye Chan told sources that lawmakers made few substantive changes before the bill was passed.

'There were not many significant changes to the proposed draft bill... the important parts of the bill remained the same,' Aye Chan said.

A draft version published in May had already outlined punishments ranging from 10 years' imprisonment to life sentences and capital punishment for those responsible for 'violence, torture, unlawful arrest and detention, or cruel treatment against another person for the purpose of forcing them to commit online scams'.

The draft further stated that 'the death penalty shall be imposed' in cases where scam offences result in a victim's death.

It also proposed life imprisonment as the maximum sentence for individuals found guilty of operating online scam centres or carrying out cryptocurrency-related fraud.

The legislation represents a notable policy shift under Min Aung Hlaing's administration. After becoming civilian president in April following tightly controlled elections, he commuted all existing death sentences in one of his first official acts.

That decision contrasted with the junta's earlier resumption of executions after the 2021 military coup, when rights groups said anti-coup activists were among those put to death.

According to the United Nations, more than 130 people had been sentenced to death in Myanmar by 2022.

Scam Industry Continues Despite Regional Crackdowns

Myanmar's years-long civil war has created conditions that international monitors say have enabled cyberscam compounds to flourish, particularly in conflict zones where law enforcement remains weak. The conflict has killed more than 100,000 people, creating instability that criminal organisations have exploited to establish heavily fortified scam centres.

A recent report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime said Chinese-origin syndicates now form the 'major organisational force' behind Southeast Asia's cyberscam economy. These groups operate industrial-scale compounds across border regions and special economic zones in Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, while armed groups inside Myanmar's conflict areas have also become part of the criminal ecosystem.

Although Myanmar's government has repeatedly pledged to combat online fraud alongside neighbouring countries, international monitors have questioned the effectiveness of recent enforcement efforts.

The UNODC said law enforcement operations have largely 'displaced and dispersed' scam networks instead of dismantling them entirely. As authorities intensified crackdowns on notorious scam hubs such as KK Park and Shwe Kokko near Myanmar's border with Thailand, operators reportedly shifted their activities into Cambodia rather than shutting down.

Pressure from neighbouring governments has continued to mount. China, which reported more than $5 billion (£3.7 billion) in scam-related losses over the past two years, has already executed at least 15 people this year after they were convicted of fraud offences connected to Myanmar-based scam compounds.

Upper house MP Naw Yuzana Wah told sources that growing international concern had played a significant role in Myanmar's decision to strengthen its legal response to online fraud.

While parliament has now approved the legislation, the longer-term impact remains uncertain. International monitors have consistently argued that previous crackdowns have merely pushed criminal operations across borders, raising questions about whether tougher penalties alone will significantly reduce the region's entrenched scam economy.