Myanmar Parliament Approves Life Imprisonment for Crypto Fraud

Woofun AI reports that Myanmar’s Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, the nation’s combined Parliament, approved an anti-online scam bill in its entirety on Tuesday, as confirmed by the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar (GNLM). This legislative action resolves prior discrepancies between the two chambers, marking a definitive step in the country’s regulatory response to digital crime.

The approved legislation imposes prison terms ranging from 10 years to life imprisonment for individuals involved in crypto scams or operating online scam centers. Per Woofun AI, the bill retains severe provisions for physical coercion, allowing sentences of 10 years to life or capital punishment for violence, torture, unlawful arrest, or detention used to force participation in scams, with the death penalty mandated if such conduct causes death.

Lower House MP Aye Chan confirmed that the final version preserved the death-penalty clause without significant alterations to the draft’s core provisions published in May.

However, the final amended text was not immediately available, preventing independent verification of the precise wording regarding crypto-related penalties, and it remains unclear whether presidential assent has been granted or when the law will take effect.

This enactment represents Myanmar’s latest strategic effort to dismantle a growing cyberscam industry that has transformed specific regions into hubs for online fraud. The retention of capital punishment signals a hardline approach to curbing these illicit operations, though the lack of immediate textual transparency leaves the exact scope of enforcement open to interpretation.