New Delhi, Dec 23 (IANS): Over 40,000 Chinese nationals associated with unlawful online scam groups in Myanmar’s northern Shan state were arrested and deported during a three-month period from early September to mid-December, data from relevant groups indicate, media reports said.

Shan state, known as a hub for crystal methamphetamine trafficking, is rife with other illegal activities in enclaves along the Chinese border, as criminals take advantage of ongoing civil unrest and armed conflict under the junta which seized power in a 2021 coup.

Falling within neighboring China’s orbit, northern Shan state has become a focal point for Chinese scammers who target their own citizens, RFA reported.

From October 31 to December 15, nearly 12,050 Chinese citizens linked to online scam groups in the region were arrested and deported, according to a mid-December announcement by the State Administration Council, the formal name of the military junta governing Myanmar.

Most of the Chinese nationals sent back were operating in the Kokang region, whose mostly ethnic Chinese population has backed resistance to the junta.

Arrests of other Chinese nationals involved in the criminal activity have occurred in territory controlled by the United Wa State Army, or USWA, said to be the largest ethnic armed organisation in Myanmar.

USWA soldiers arrested more than 1,000 Chinese nationals involved in the gangs on September 6-7 and immediately transferred them across the border to Chinese police, RFA reported.

China’s Ministry of Public Security announced on November 21 that it had apprehended more than 31,000 Chinese nationals linked to online fraud gangs in northern Myanmar. Those arrested included ringleaders, recruiters and over 1,500 Chinese fugitives.

Altogether, the figures add up to over 40,000 Chinese nationals arrested and deported in connection with online scam operaions from early September to mid-December.