Myanmar Regime Moots Death Penalty for Scam Bosses

The new pseudo-civilian government on Wednesday unveiled draft legislation imposing draconian sentences including the death penalty for operators of online scam centers.

The bill is the latest move in the regime’s highly publicized anti‑scam campaign, launched under growing pressure from China and the U.S. but condemned by critics as being mainly for show. Putschist President Min Aung Hlaing earlier described stamping out online scam centers as a “national duty.”

The draft bill prescribes punishments ranging from one year in prison and fines to life imprisonment. Those who “violently coerce, torture, or unlawfully detain” victims to force them into scam work face sentences of at least 10 years to death, with mandatory execution if their victims are killed.