China executes 11 members of criminal gang

International

CHINA has executed 11 members of the notorious Ming family criminal syndicate, which operated large-scale scam centers in Myanmar and was responsible for killing workers who attempted to escape, according to Chinese state media.

The executions followed a court ruling in September, when the group was found guilty of serious crimes including murder, illegal detention, human trafficking and large-scale fraud. Two of the convicted individuals appealed the verdict, but China’s Supreme People’s Court upheld the death sentences.

A report by CNN stated that the Ming family was one of the so-called “four families” that controlled criminal networks in northern Myanmar. These syndicates ran hundreds of compounds involved in online fraud, prostitution and drug production. Many members of the family also held influential positions in local government and militia groups aligned with Myanmar’s ruling military junta.

The criminal network was based in Kokang, an autonomous region on the China-Myanmar border. At its height, the group reportedly forced around 10,000 people to work in scam operations, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV. Workers were often trafficked and subjected to violence if they tried to flee.

One of the group’s most infamous locations was Crouching Tiger Villa, a compound linked to numerous human rights abuses. Laukkaing, the capital of Kokang, became a central hub for a multibillion-dollar scam industry that targeted victims worldwide through sophisticated online schemes.

China began a major crackdown on scam operations in Myanmar in 2023 after years of complaints from families of trafficked workers and increased international scrutiny. In November of that year, Chinese authorities issued arrest warrants for Ming family members and offered large rewards for their capture.

The family’s leader, Ming Xuechang, a former member of Myanmar’s regional parliament, died by suicide while in custody. Among those executed were his son, Ming Guoping, a senior figure in a junta-aligned border guard force, and his granddaughter, Ming Zhenzhen. State media reported that the condemned individuals were allowed to meet their families before their executions.

Chinese authorities said the Ming family also worked with another criminal leader, Wu Hongming, who was also executed. Together, they were accused of intentionally killing, injuring and illegally detaining scam workers, resulting in the deaths of at least 14 Chinese citizens.

Scam operations across Southeast Asia are estimated to steal more than $43 billion each year. In Myanmar, these criminal networks have thrived amid corruption, weak law enforcement and nearly five years of civil war.(Georgia Olivar, USJ-R Comm Intern)