澳门六合彩

More than a thousand 鈥渟cam dens鈥� in Burma use trafficked labor to send scam texts and email messages to targets in dozens of countries鈥攊ncluding both China and the United States.听

In 2015, Myanmar鈥攐r听 to many鈥攕eemed to be a 鈥減roof of concept鈥� to the world鈥檚 democracy community鈥� an example of a听 control into a promising, if imperfect, democracy. I was one of those on hand to听 those elections which gave Aung San Suu Kyi鈥檚 National League for Democracy a supermajority in the country鈥檚 parliament. It was an inspirational moment for anyone on hand to see the long lines of people (especially young people) making sure their voice was heard. 听Sadly, less than 10 years later, Burma鈥檚 military junta has regained its brutal grip on power, and the country is suffering badly under听. More than听, entire regions lack any semblance of effective governance, and the country is fracturing along a number of ethnic lines. In short, Burma is a听

All of this has created an opening for bad actors to secure a foothold鈥攅ven a base of operations鈥攆or their activities. One such set of activities involves the creation of 鈥渟cam centers鈥� inside the country from which global cyber-scam operations are conducted beyond the reach of international authorities. Some of these operations have become known by the colorful term 鈥�.鈥� A recent听 report stated that the term is used because these scammers听鈥渇atten鈥� their targets through days, weeks, and even months of cyber-powered conversations. The scammers work to 听build a relationship with their targets, making them ripe to have their money stolen鈥� financial 鈥渂utchering.鈥� In some cases, victims end up losing their entire life savings after falling for the scheme. Between January 2020 and February 2024, victims worldwide lost more than听 from these cybercrimes.听

Cyber scamming is, simply put, a full-blown industry. According to the UN鈥檚 Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights more than听 are being used to regularly send out scam messages from approximately听 scam dens scattered across Burma鈥檚 border regions.听

One of the darkest elements of this very dark subject is that the targets of cyber scamming aren鈥檛 the only victims. In many cases, the individuals behind the screens鈥攖he ones actually sending the messages out鈥攁re also victims鈥� victims of human trafficking. Studies show that the scammers are trafficked from as far away as听,听, and the听. As the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, , put it, 鈥淧eople who are coerced into working in these scamming operations endure inhumane treatment while being forced to carry out crimes. They are victims. They are not criminals.鈥澨�

A recent report in听 told of a young Malaysian woman who applied for a high-paying position based in Burma鈥檚 capital with a conventional internet business. After she was told she had won the job, she was picked up in Burma by her new employer, only to be driven to a scam center near the country鈥檚 northern border with China. Along with 200 other victims from across Asia, she was forced to spend 17 hours each day trying to defraud foreigners, mainly Americans, out of their savings. Those who didn鈥檛 meet set quotas were punished with torture and physical assault.

A听 podcast told the story of a well-educated Ethiopian man who applied for a well-paying customer service job at a tech company in Thailand. When he arrived in Bangkok to begin work, he and other recruits had their passports confiscated and were taken to a scam center located on the Burma-Thailand border. Threatened with beatings, he was forced to work 16-hour days in front of various computer and phone screens. He said that he would often defraud 15 to 20 victims per day.

Burma鈥檚 scam centers are often based in the country鈥檚 border regions which are among the least governed parts of the country. But reports suggest that they also have at least the implicit backing of听, which is willing to look the other way in exchange for the valuable tax revenue the central government is able to collect.听

In my time with both the International Republican Institute, when I was an听, and the US Agency for International Development,听, I had an opportunity to visit several parts of Burma. It鈥檚 a beautiful, diverse, culturally rich country. The people are kind and warm; yet sadness and tragedy seem to follow every step in their journey. It鈥檚 a place of immense potential, but it has fallen short over and over again. All because of its governance.听

As the saying goes, 鈥渆lections have consequences.鈥� So does the lack of elections.听

This blog was researched and drafted with assistance from Chelsea Acheampong.听