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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
Published: 9:30am, 18 Jul, 2021
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Drastic threats
According to a widely circulated but unverified leaked spreadsheet compiled by Chinese public security authorities, more than 141,000 Chinese nationals have been listed as individuals who should be “persuaded to return”.
They mainly hailed from impoverished or less-developed cities in Fujian, Hunan, Guizhou and Guangxi provinces.
“I can guarantee with my life and reputation that over 90 per cent of people on the list are just ordinary civilians who do business honestly,” said a Chinese businessman who actively helps compatriots return home, and asked not to be named.
“They lead a tough life abroad and have invested all their savings,” he said.
The approach by provinces to recall their citizens varied according to locality, said several Chinese sources with links to Wa State.
Some Chinese officials have allowed the citizens who managed to provide proof of lawful business to stay in northeast Myanmar, or promised to exempt them from criminal prosecution. Others insisted that their citizens return by the June 30 deadline, regardless of whatever documents they can provide or their ability to gain a quarantine spot.
The businessman who assists his compatriots claimed some regions had taken drastic measures to force people to leave the Southeast Asian country.
“Some provinces demolished those people’s homes, painted ‘home of frauds’ on their houses, or threatened to stop their children from going to school,” he said. “This is just too much.”
The four provinces listed in the spreadsheet as the main sources of the workers were behind the most forceful methods of inducement, he claimed...