Myanmar Parliament Passes Anti-Online Scam Bill With Penalties Up to Life Imprisonment
Key Takeaways
- •Myanmar's parliament passed an anti-online scam bill prescribing 10 years to life imprisonment for cryptocurrency scams and operating online fraud centers.
- •The legislation permits capital punishment for violent coercion tactics used to force participation in scam operations, with the death penalty required when such conduct causes death.
- •Myanmar's border regions, especially Shan State near China, have become major hubs for scam compounds operated by transnational criminal organizations.
- •China has repeatedly pressured Myanmar and neighboring countries to dismantle the compounds, with earlier crackdowns resulting in the repatriation of thousands of Chinese nationals.
- •Lower House MP Aye Chan confirmed that the final version retained the death-penalty provision and that no significant changes were made to the draft's key terms.
Myanmar's Parliament has approved an anti-online scam bill that would impose prison sentences ranging from 10 years to life for cryptocurrency scams and the operation of online scam centers.
The Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, Myanmar's combined parliament, passed the bill in its entirety on Tuesday after reconciling differences between versions previously adopted by its two chambers, according to the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar (GNLM). The GNLM report did not indicate whether the bill had received presidential assent or specify when it would take effect.
The legislation represents Myanmar's most recent effort to address a burgeoning cyberscam industry that has transformed parts of the country into centers for online fraud. Myanmar's border regions, particularly in Shan State near China, have become major hubs for large-scale scam compounds operated by transnational criminal groups. These operations have grown into a multibillion-dollar industry across Southeast Asia, prompting the UN Office on Drugs and Crime to warn of its expansion across the Mekong region. China has repeatedly pressed Myanmar and other neighboring countries to dismantle the compounds, and earlier crackdowns led to the repatriation of thousands of Chinese nationals.
A draft of the bill was published in May, explicitly prohibiting crypto scams and setting penalties of 10 years to life imprisonment. The bill also permits sentences of 10 years to life, or capital punishment, for acts of violence, torture, unlawful arrest, or detention used to coerce individuals into participating in online scams. The death penalty is mandated when such conduct results in death. The severity of the penalties reflects the scale of abuses documented at scam compounds, where trafficked workers — many recruited under false pretenses — have reported being held against their will and subjected to physical abuse.
According to a Straits Times report citing Agence France-Presse, Lower House MP Aye Chan stated that the final version retained the death-penalty provision and that no significant changes had been made to the draft's key provisions. The final amended text was not immediately available.