Chinese crackdown on online fraud forces citizens to leave Myanmar’s ‘Little China’
- Tens of thousands of Chinese nationals have been caught up in the crackdown by local authorities in China on internet fraud at the Myanmar border
- In Wa State’s northern region, some workers say their families back home have been harassed even though they have not taken part in illegal activities
At a hotel in Wa State, near the Myanmar-China border, Chinese national Li Jiajie is growing increasingly desperate by the day.
But Li is uncertain how long he might have to wait before he can enter quarantine in Pangkham, the main city in the state, before crossing the border to reach his homeland.
“Only a few hundred people a day are allowed to enter the quarantine centre in Pangkham,” he said. “There are at least tens of thousands of people in the queue. I have quit my job and desperately want to go back, but I may have to wait here for months.”
Local public security bureaus across China in May initially told suspects who were connected to internet fraud in Myanmar’s border regions – specifically the Muse, Kokang, Wa State and Mong La areas – to return home, but the scope of the recall was soon expanded with new directives and notices emerging on social media by June calling “all nationals in northern Myanmar” to return.
