China prosecutes 39 members of major telecom fraud gangs in northern Myanmar

A total of 39 members of major criminal groups based in northern Myanmar were prosecuted in China on Monday for telecom fraud and other crimes targeting civilians in China.

The suspects, including Mg Myin Shaunt Phyin and Ma Thiri Maung, are all in or linked with the notorious crime family "Ming syndicate". They face charges of fraud, intentional homicide, intentional injury, illegal detention, operating casinos, drug trafficking, and organizing prostitution.

The case was filed to a court in Wenzhou, a coastal city in east China's Zhejiang Province.

"The Ming syndicate and crime organizations linked to it had a lot of members. The case involves thousands of suspects, with 39 key members, including those responsible for the deaths of Chinese citizens, facing charges handled by the Wenzhou Procuratorate. The other several thousands of suspects will be prosecuted by local courts in Wenzhou and across various parts of China," said Wang Sheng, the executive deputy chief prosecutor of Wenzhou.

The prosecution examined over 1,100 volumes of case files, nearly 15,000 pieces of evidence, and more than 50 terabytes of electronic data, and brought up over 500 evidence-related recommendations.

"This case involves 16 defendants who are Myanmar nationals. However, because the serious crimes they committed in Myanmar such as intentional homicide targeted Chinese citizens, China has criminal jurisdiction according to the protective jurisdiction provisions of Article 8 of its Criminal Law. In addition, they used telecommunications networks overseas to commit fraud against Chinese citizens, opened online casinos for Chinese citizens to gamble, and organized Chinese women to go abroad for prostitution. Because the crimes were committed partly within the territory of China, according to the principle of territorial jurisdiction in Article 6 of China's criminal law, China also has criminal jurisdiction," Wang said regarding the foreign nationals involved.

Underlining that the crime syndicate's drug trafficking infringed upon the common interests of the international community, the procuratorate stated that China is exercising criminal jurisdiction based on its obligations under the United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances and other relevant provisions of international treaties.

The procuratorate emphasized that it shall seek death penalty in court for those criminals whose actions were especially brutal, causing significant harm and endangering public safety.

China prosecutes 39 members of major telecom fraud gangs in northern Myanmar

Displaced Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are manually removing rubble using basic tools, in the absence of heavy machinery and international reconstruction assistance.

Seven months into a fragile ceasefire, large-scale reconstruction remains largely stalled in Gaza, with Israeli restrictions on construction materials and unresolved political disputes deemed as key obstacles.

Many families in the enclave say they can no longer wait for rebuilding plans to begin.

Mohammad Adel, who lost his seven-story home in Khan Younis during the war, has been living with his family under difficult displacement conditions in the crowded tents of Al Mawasi for more than two years.

Unable to wait any longer, Adel decided to begin clearing the rubble of his home by hand.

"We see that there will be no reconstruction for Gaza and the closure is very strict on us. Waiting for reconstruction will take a very long time, so we started working and removing the rubble with our own hands. As you can see, this will cost us money, but we are trying to prepare the place so we can live in it," he said.

For some unemployed workers, clearing debris has become a temporary source of income amid the economic collapse caused by the war.

"Today, financial means have become nonexistent. Before the war, I had a chicken farm, but my work stopped because of the war. So I searched for another job that could provide me with an income, and I have no choice except this extremely exhausting work," said Abdullah Al Bayouk, a worker.

Palestinian officials warn that the continued delay in reconstruction is forcing thousands of displaced families to remain inside tents or unsafe damaged buildings, under worsening humanitarian conditions.

"Over 400,000 residential buildings have been either totally destroyed or rendered uninhabitable, along with more than 60 million tons of rubble. And 3,000 more housing units are at risk of collapse, yet people are still living inside them," said Mohannad Abboud, director of reconstruction of the Palestinian Ministry of Public Works.

A recent UN report showed that rebuilding Gaza and clearing the debris will require more than 71 billion U.S. dollars over the next decade. The rubble is estimated to cover around 78 percent of buildings across the strip.

Gaza residents clear rubble by hand as large-scale reconstruction stalls