Myanmar approves death penalty in new law targeting online scam rings
What's new: The measure sets prison terms from 10 years to life for scam-center operators and forced recruitment tied to cyberfraud.
Myanmar's parliament approved an anti-online scam law on Tuesday that allows the death penalty for people who force others to work in online fraud operations and for offenses tied to abuse that results in death. The law also sets penalties ranging from 10 years in prison to life terms for organizers of scam compounds and related forced labor. The move follows years of crackdowns on scam centers along Myanmar's border with Thailand, where authorities say criminal groups lured or trafficked foreign nationals into compounds and made them run online fraud schemes. Myanmar has also joined operations with China and Thailand, and has deported thousands of people linked to the networks, including some who had been forced to work there.