As technology continues to advance and develop worldwide, it brings benefits to humanity while also enabling various forms of crime and destructive activities. Among the technology-enabled threats facing the public, online scams and online gambling have emerged as significant problems.
The Government of Myanmar is placing great emphasis on combatting online scammers and gambling offenders who illegally cross-national borders and pose a serious threat to the socioeconomic well-being of not only people in the region but also people around the world. As a national responsibility, the government is actively working to identify, prevent and combat such offenders. The government is taking effective measures to combat these criminal activities using domestic resources, while also coordinating with the governments of neighbouring countries to identify, arrest and take legal action against those involved.
As part of these efforts to identify and combat such activities, foreign nationals who are arrested are being handed over to the relevant countries. Continuous efforts are also being made to identify, take action against and eradicate online scam and gambling operations to prevent them from becoming established in border areas and areas beyond the reach of the administrative machinery.
In recent days, men and women involved in illegal online gambling have been arrested, and legal action has been taken against them, along with the confiscation of evidence, in townships across Yangon Region. Previously, online gambling operators had also been identified and arrested in major cities across the country. Young people continue to engage in such activities, reportedly due to a lack of awareness of the law, failure to respect and comply with legal requirements, and the financial gains they obtain from fraudulent activities.
It is not sufficient for relevant security organizations to identify and take action against criminal activities that are harmful to the public; effective efforts can only be made with the active cooperation and participation of the public. In recent days, based on information provided by responsible citizens, joint teams comprising security personnel have identified, arrested and taken legal action against perpetrators of online scams and gambling who were operating secretly in various towns and areas across Yangon Region.
In taking action against young people who engage in such criminal activities, whether knowingly or unknowingly, broad public awareness campaigns should also be conducted to educate young people about the risks and consequences of such activities. Everyone should be aware of the need to refrain from making a living through such activities and to actively participate in efforts to combat these activities.
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