Myanmar steps up arrests and deportations of foreign nationals tied to online scams and gambling

Myanmar’s Ministry of Information has announced intensified efforts to track, detain and deport foreign nationals involved in online fraud and illegal gambling in border areas, positioning mass removals as a key tool to dismantle cross-border criminal networks.

Myanmar’s Ministry of Information has confirmed a new phase in its crackdown on online scam and gambling hubs, saying authorities will step up efforts to identify, detain and deport foreign nationals who entered the country illegally and became involved in cyber-fraud and betting schemes in border regions.

The announcement follows a string of large-scale raids against scam compounds in Shan and Kayin States since early 2025. According to state media and official briefings, Myanmar has detained more than 12,000–13,000 foreign nationals linked to online fraud and illegal gambling since January 2025, with the majority already deported via Thailand to their countries of origin.

Authorities say the renewed push focuses on hotspots such as Myawaddy and Shwe Kokko on the Thai border, where criminal groups have operated online casinos and scam centres targeting victims across Asia. Recent raids have led to the arrest of hundreds of foreigners at a time, and to the seizure of computers, mobile phones and other equipment used for telecom fraud and gambling operations.

Officials stress that the campaign is being coordinated with neighbouring countries, particularly China and Thailand. Joint task forces have been formed to share intelligence, verify the identities of detainees and organise staged repatriation flights or overland transfers, in an effort to dismantle regional scam networks rather than merely displacing them to new locations.

By highlighting the arrest and deportation of foreign nationals as a central plank of its strategy, the Ministry of Information is signalling that Myanmar intends to keep pressure on border-based scam and online gambling hubs into 2026, while urging foreign governments to cooperate more actively in taking back their citizens and prosecuting those responsible for large-scale online fraud.