Myanmar strengthens crackdown on cyber scams, death penalty imposed

A new law passed by Myanmar’s parliament provides for the death penalty for anyone who forcibly holds, tortures, or forces people to work in online scam centers.

The “Online Scam Suppression Law”, which has military backing, is the first legislative initiative of the newly formed administration under President Min Aung Hlaing. It stipulates penalties ranging from 10 years’ imprisonment to life imprisonment, while cases where torture or violence results in the victim’s death will be punishable by capital punishment.

Additionally, the new law imposes life imprisonment for the leaders of these criminal centers and for individuals who set up cryptocurrency scam schemes. In recent years, Myanmar has become one of the largest epicenters of cyber scams in Southeast Asia. Criminal networks control guarded compounds where large numbers of foreign nationals, trafficked through deception or force, are compelled to carry out online scams, mainly romance baiting and fake cryptocurrency investment schemes, targeting victims worldwide. The legislation was passed at a time when the country remains embroiled in an internal civil conflict, which began after the military-led coup in 2021.

Most analysts see the current parliament as dominated by pro-military delegates, while the electoral process that brought the new government to power has been sharply criticized by Western countries and international institutions, who deem it neither free nor democratic.