Chinese court prosecutes Kokang Ming family for organized crimes
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Phyo (NP News) - Feb 22
Reports show that a Chinese court has commenced its first trial against 23 individuals from Myanmar’s northern Shan State-based telecom fraud syndicate, who are facing multiple criminal charges, the Chinese news agencies reported.
The individuals, linked to the Ming family gang, are facing charges for 11 different crimes, including telecom fraud, murder, intentional harm, unlawful detention, extortion, operating a gambling den, organizing prostitution, and drug trafficking, as reported by state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) on February 19.
Prosecutors in Wenzhou, located in China's eastern Zhejiang province, claimed that the Ming family used their power and armed forces to establish industrial parks and collaborated with financial backers on numerous crimes since 2015. This led to the deaths of 14 Chinese nationals, six others being injured, and billions of yuan lost to fraud, as reported by the Global Times.
The gang's activities were reportedly centered in Kokang, located in Myanmar's northern Shan state, which borders China's southwestern Yunnan province.
Prosecutors stated that the Ming syndicate sets up a network of industrial estates and compounds that accommodated thousands of scammers. They employed various tactics to deceive victims, including fraudulent investment schemes, phishing scams, and extortion.
Prosecutors mentioned that evidence showed that in October 2023, Ming's gang murdered Chinese captives who attempted to escape while being transferred to another compound.
The Ming crime syndicate was headed by Ming Xuechang, a Chinese-Myanmar national, who reportedly died in an apparent suicide in November 2023 after being detained by Chinese authorities.
The Wenzhou Intermediate People's Court in East China's Zhejiang Province heard the case involving the Ming family from Friday to Wednesday before adjourning, with plans to announce the verdict at a later time.
The case marks China's latest attempt to crack down on cross-border telecoms syndicates that, according to authorities, have caused substantial financial and emotional harm on countless Chinese citizens. The crackdown has focused on suspects operating from their bases in the Golden Triangle area between Myanmar, Thailand and Laos. –