Six Mekong–Lancang nations have signed a new agreement to strengthen their joint response to transnational telecom and online fraud, following a ministerial meeting on 14 November in Kunming, China.
According to Bangkok Post, representatives from China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam adopted a series of urgent measures aimed at dismantling what authorities describe as a fast-evolving criminal ecosystem that moves illicit funds and victim data across borders.
Pol Lt Gen Jirabhop Bhuridej, assistant national police chief of Thailand, said scam networks operating across the Mekong region have formed a “cross-border criminal ecosystem” that continues to cause significant harm to citizens of all six nations. He emphasised Thailand’s commitment to full transparency and urged reciprocal cooperation from partner governments.
Jirabhop presented intelligence from Thailand’s Anti-Cyber Scam Center (ACSC), which pools data from banks, telecom companies and intelligence agencies to trace fraud operations. According to the ACSC, mule-account financial flows typically move across borders, while many IP addresses use offshore routes. Several online scam centres are believed to be located in border zones and special economic areas, with Thailand having already shared related evidence with neighbouring states.
To counter these developments, the ACSC proposed three new enforcement mechanisms. The first is a shared regional database of mule accounts, phone numbers and IP addresses with automatic alerting to speed up fraud interdiction. The second measure calls for cyber liaison officers to be posted in partner countries to enable direct, same-day communication between enforcement teams. The third recommendation seeks stronger telecom oversight, including mandatory identity verification for SIM cards, limits on SIM ownership, targeted monitoring of suspicious numbers and the ability to impose temporary shutdowns in zones linked to organised scam activity.
“Crime has no borders, and neither should enforcement,” Pol Lt Gen Jirabhop Bhuridej said.
Regional cooperation is already under way, with Thai–Cambodian operations resulting in network shutdowns, asset freezes and victim rescues. Officers have also deepened intelligence sharing with China. Recent coordinated crackdowns include China–Myanmar–Thailand raids on border scam enclaves, as well as joint China–Laos and China–Cambodia–Vietnam enforcement actions.
China’s assistant minister for public security Liu Zhongyi praised Thailand’s “clear, sincere and decisive measures” in addressing the issue.
The coalition approved 21 joint action points designed to strengthen cross-border enforcement, including coordinated raids, intelligence exchanges, extradition agreements, asset seizure frameworks and annual strategy meetings. The group also agreed to establish multilingual public-awareness campaigns and work with NGOs to support victims.
As cross-border fraud continues to expand across digital channels, the Mekong 6 are positioning real-time data sharing, telecom controls and unified enforcement as critical steps to disrupt criminal networks and protect citizens.
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