A Chinese court has sentenced five prominent members of a Myanmar mafia, the Bai family, to death as part of an ongoing initiative by Beijing to combat scam operations in Southeast Asia. According to state media, a total of 21 individuals associated with the Bai family were convicted, facing charges including fraud, homicide, and bodily injury.
The Bai family, which emerged in the 2000s, played a significant role in transforming the town of Laukkaing into a center for casinos and illicit activities. Recently, they shifted their focus to elaborate scams that have reportedly involved thousands of trafficked workers, many of whom are Chinese nationals, subjected to abuse and forced to participate in criminal enterprises that generate substantial profits.
The Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court specifically sentenced mafia leaders Bai Suocheng and Bai Yingcang, along with three other associates: Yang Liqiang, Hu Xiaojiang, and Chen Guangyi. In addition to the five death penalties, two individuals received suspended death sentences, five were sentenced to life imprisonment, and nine others were given prison terms ranging from three to 20 years. Authorities reported that the Bai family operated 41 compounds where various cyber scams occurred, generating criminal revenue of over 29 billion Chinese yuan (approximately $4.1 billion) and resulting in multiple deaths and injuries.
This legal action is part of China’s broader campaign to dismantle extensive scam networks in the region and serves as a warning to other criminal organizations. In September, another group from Laukkaing faced similar sentences, indicating a systemic effort to combat organized crime.
The Bai family’s decline coincided with shifting political dynamics in 2023. The Chinese government has been pressuring Myanmar to control such criminal enterprises and has sought the extradition of key figures involved in organized crime. The motivations behind these extensive law enforcement efforts raise questions about the implications for both Southeast Asian crime syndicates and regional stability.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy9pyljl009o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss