A group of 200 Chinese citizens suspected of involvement in telecom fraud were returned to China under the escort of Chinese police on Thursday after being repatriated from Myawaddy in Myanmar.
The 200 Chinese citizens are the first group of telecom fraud suspects repatriated from Myanmar to China.
The suspects were first sent to Thailand's Mae Sot near the border with Myanmar on Thursday, before being flown back to China on four chartered flights.
The first plane carrying a group of 50 fraud suspects arrived at Nanjing Lukou International Airport in east China's Jiangsu Province on Thursday evening.
China's Ministry of Public Security said that more than 800 other Chinese fraud suspects are expected to be repatriated in the coming period.
The repatriation of these suspects marks a significant achievement of law enforcement cooperation between China, Myanmar and Thailand against telecom fraud, said the ministry.
At the end of January, the Ministry of Public Security dispatched working groups to Thailand and Myanmar to enhance collaboration with relevant authorities in both countries.
Following this, a joint anti-telecom fraud operation was launched in Myawaddy, targeting fraud compounds, arresting and repatriating a significant number of fraud suspects, and organizing chartered flights to escort them back to China.
Additionally, China, Myanmar, and Thailand are working to establish a law enforcement cooperation mechanism to conduct regular joint operations against transnational crimes such as telecom fraud, aiming to better protect the lives and property of Chinese citizens.
200 telecom fraud suspects repatriated from Myanmar to China
The Japanese society should do soul-searching regarding its history of aggression and adhere to the pacifist constitution, said Shiradori Hiroshi, a professor of the Hosei University, in an interview with China Central Television (CCTV) in Tokyo on April 30.
He said the government's recent move to discuss revising the three security documents deserve particular attention as the country's foreign and security policies have already witnessed major changes.
"People outside of the country hold that Japan's post-war image as a 'peace state' is now facing a major shift. Against the backdrop of tremendous changes in its foreign and security policies, the revision of the three security documents deserves particular attention. There lacks public debate in terms of the procedure, with policy changes decided unilaterally at Cabinet meetings. It is necessary to fully explain to the public as to whether such a practice is proper," said Hiroshi.
The Japanese government held its first expert panel meeting to discuss revisions to the three security documents at the Prime Minister's Office on April 27, local media reported.
Japan's current National Security Strategy and two related documents, formulated in 2022, were designed to cover the next 10 years, but the government led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has decided to move up the timetable to accelerate the revision process.
Increasing defense spending is one of the key topics of the meeting, according to Kyodo News.
Hiroshi said this year marks the 80th anniversary of the opening of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, or Tokyo Trials, and the Japanese society must do soul-searching regarding its history of aggression in WWII, when it brought enormous catastrophes on Asian countries.
"Eighty years have passed since the opening of the Tokyo Trials. Japan inflicted enormous suffering on Asian countries during WWII, which should serve as an opportunity for the soul-searching. It is exact on the basis of countless sacrifices that Japan's post-war pacifism and its identity as a 'peace state' took shape. On this 80th anniversary, it is necessary for Japan to re-examine and do soul-searching regarding its history," said Hiroshi.
The Japanese government's effort to revise the pacifist constitution is widely opposed by the public.
On Sunday, around 50,000 people gathered at Tokyo Rinkai Disaster Prevention Park, chanting slogans and holding banners against the government's push for constitutional revision and military expansion, the largest turnout of its kind in recent years.
Japan should adhere to pacifist constitution: scholar
