Myanmar enacts harsh anti‑online scam law with life sentences and possible death penalty

The United Nations International Organization for Migration warns that a growing number of people are being trafficked to Southeast Asia and forced to work in internet‑fraud operations, especially in Myanmar. It estimates around 300,000 victims from more than 80 countries are exploited in scam factories that generate billions of dollars each year.

In response, Myanmar’s military‑backed parliament passed a draft Anti‑Online Scam Bill that imposes lifetime imprisonment for individuals and groups running cryptocurrency‑related fraud schemes and internet‑scam factories. The legislation also allows capital punishment for offenses that cause death, violence, torture, unlawful detention or cruel treatment used to force victims to commit online scams. Lawmakers such as MP Aye Chan confirmed the harsher penalties, while the country’s de facto leader Min Aung Hlaing has overseen the crackdown amid criticism that the measures may not curb the entrenched criminal networks.

The bill follows international pressure, including calls from the United States and China, and aims to curb the rapid expansion of scam centers that have flourished since the 2021 military coup, drawing trafficked workers from Bangladesh, Indonesia, India, Kenya, Ethiopia and other nations.