China has arrested a deputy military chief from one of Myanmar’s most powerful ethnic armed organizations, the United Wa State Army (UWSA), for alleged involvement in cyber scams.
Bao Junfeng—the nephew of UWSA leader Bao Youxiang—was detained by Kunming police in neighboring Yunnan province in the first week of October, according to sources close to the armed group.
Chinese online media say Bao was arrested in connection with online scams.
“He was arrested on October 2 [and] The UWSA has already chosen [his] replacement,” a source told The Irrawaddy.
Bao, also known as Ai Chen, was appointed deputy commander-in-chief of the UWSA in August of last year. He attended a military academy in Kunming and is fluent in Chinese and Burmese.
When asked about Bao’s detention by The Irrawaddy, UWSA liaison officer Nyi Rang said he was on a trip and knew nothing about the arrest.
On October 12, Chinese police issued warrants for the arrests of two senior officials of the UWSA—Chen Yanban and Xiao Yanquan—and offered a reward of 100,000 to 500,000 renminbi (US$13,700 to $71,200) for information and cooperation leading to their arrests.
Chen is the minister for construction in the Wa Self-Administered Division and a former head of UWSA Brigade 468. Xiao was identified, in his arrest warrant, as the mayor of Monglin District in the autonomous region. Xiao is a former son-in-law of Bao Youxiang.
The United Wa State Party has dismissed the duo from all official duties in response to the arrest warrants, but has not released information about their whereabouts.
China this year pressured Myanmar’s junta to take action against cyber scams, which the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs says have “seriously harmed Chinese interests.”
In response, the regime handed over 24 people arrested for involvement in online scams to Chinese authorities in August and 377 Chinese allegedly involved in telecom fraud were transferred back to China in September.
In the first week of September, the UWSA handed over 1,000 Chinese citizens allegedly involved in cyber scams to Chinese police.
According to an October 16 statement from the Chinese Ministry of Public Security, Myanmar has so far handed over 4,666 Chinese citizens allegedly involved in cyber-scam syndicates operating along the border.
