Now Reading: Myanmar parliament passes law allowing death for cyber scam operators
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Myanmar parliament passes law allowing death for cyber scam operators
Myanmar parliament passes law allowing death for cyber scam operators
Myanmar's military-backed parliament on Tuesday approved the Anti-Online Scam Bill, which authorises the death penalty for detaining or violently coercing people into working in scam centres. Union Parliament Speaker Aung Lin Dwe…
The Story in Brief
Myanmar's military-backed parliament on Tuesday approved the Anti-Online Scam Bill, which authorises the death penalty for detaining or violently coercing people into working in scam centres. Union Parliament Speaker Aung Lin Dwe announced the passage after both houses met in Naypyidaw. The law imposes capital punishment if the offence causes death, and up to life in prison for running an online scam centre or committing crypto scams.
Internet fraud factories have boomed in war-torn Myanmar, part of Southeast Asia's multibillion-dollar scam economy. Repatriated foreigners have reported being trafficked to Myanmar and tortured by operators. The law is the first legislation passed by the new government headed by former junta chief Min Aung Hlaing, who assumed the civilian presidency after heavily restricted elections that excluded Aung San Suu Kyi. The vote was widely criticised as a sham by Western nations and democracy watchdogs.
The Indian Opinion
The death penalty for scam operators might sound tough, but this law comes from a military-backed parliament that analysts call a rubber-stamp body. The junta that staged a 2021 coup wants to look serious about crime while overseeing a civil war that has let scam factories thrive. The real test is enforcement: will this law target the organised crime groups running fortified compounds, or just the low-level workers trafficked there against their will? Numbers on convictions will tell the truth.
Source: thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
