Hanoi (VNA) – The Myanmar government on May 14 released a bill on countering online scam for public comment before submitting it to the Union Parliament for approval.
Notably, the bill proposes the death penalty as the highest punishment for individuals who illegally abduct, abuse, torture or detain others to coerce them into committing online fraud. It also proposes a maximum sentence of life imprisonment for individuals directly operating scam centres or engaging in fraud involving digital currencies.
According to The Mirror, the bill aims to establish a strong legal framework to combat the increasingly complex problem of online fraud. Its key objectives include strengthening domestic and international cooperation; protecting national sovereignty and public safety; improving information-sharing systems; and addressing illegal foreign involvement. In particular, it empowers authorities to investigate, prevent, seize and manage assets related to online fraud offences.
The bill consists of 13 chapters covering definitions, objectives, the establishment of the Anti-Online Scam Centre and its responsibilities, international cooperation, information exchange, penalties, and general provisions.
The chapter on international cooperation states that authorities will collaborate with international organisations and foreign countries and territories to investigate online fraud, exchange intelligence, manage the repatriation of victims, and implement formal cooperation agreements on enforcement and capacity building.
The Myanmar Parliament is expected to convene in the first week of June to consider and pass the bill. The move is seen as a decisive step by the Myanmar government to clean up the online environment and curb high-tech criminal organisations operating in the region./.
