Myanmar proposes death penalty for cybercrime, online scam offences

Myanmar has proposed the death sentence for individuals involved in forcing victims to work in online scam centres, as authorities move to crack down on the country’s rapidly expanding cybercrime industry.

The proposal was contained in a new parliamentary draft titled the “Anti-Online Scam Bill,” published on Thursday by Myanmar’s military-backed legislature.

According to the draft law, capital punishment could be imposed on anyone found guilty of using violence, torture, unlawful detention, or coercion to force victims into carrying out internet fraud operations.

Tough penalties for scam operators

The proposed legislation also recommends life imprisonment for operators of online scam centres and individuals involved in cryptocurrency-related fraud.

Internet scam compounds have proliferated across conflict-ridden regions of Myanmar in recent years, targeting victims globally through romance scams, fake investment schemes, and cryptocurrency fraud.

While some workers reportedly joined voluntarily, many foreign nationals rescued from the compounds have alleged they were trafficked, tortured, and forced to carry out online fraud.

Civil war and organised crime

Analysts say the instability caused by Myanmar’s 2021 military coup created fertile ground for organised crime syndicates to establish heavily fortified scam operations.

The country’s ongoing civil war has weakened state control in several areas, allowing cybercrime networks to flourish.

Authorities in the United States estimated that victims lost more than $20 billion to online scam schemes last year alone, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Tensions with China

The scam industry has also strained relations between Myanmar and China, where concerns have grown over Chinese citizens operating, working in, or becoming victims of scam centres based in Myanmar.

Observers say Beijing has alternated support between Myanmar’s military rulers and rebel groups during the conflict to protect its strategic and economic interests.

China has recently backed plans for a junta-led election despite criticism that opposition parties, including the National League for Democracy of detained leader Aung San Suu Kyi, were excluded.

Junta’s first major legislation

The proposed anti-scam bill is the first major legislation introduced under Myanmar’s new government led by coup leader Min Aung Hlaing, who assumed the role of civilian president last month.

The government said the bill would establish a special committee to cooperate with foreign governments in combating online fraud networks.

However, democracy groups and critics argue that the move is part of a broader effort to rebrand military rule and ease Myanmar’s international isolation following the coup.

Human rights organisations continue to raise concerns over Myanmar’s use of capital punishment and the broader human rights situation under military rule.

At the same time, pressure is mounting internationally for stronger regional cooperation to dismantle scam syndicates operating across Southeast Asia.