Burma's military-run government has approved the death penalty for people convicted of running online scam operations, under a new Anti-Online Scam Law passed by parliament. The move comes just months after the FBI announced an $8 billion crackdown on scam networks operating out of the country, and reflects growing international pressure on Burma to tackle the cyber-fraud compounds that have proliferated there, many of which are linked to human trafficking and forced labour.

The law, passed on Tuesday and reported by state-backed media, applies capital punishment to scammers who commit violence, torture or unlawful detention in connection with their fraud operations. Burma has become a global hub for online scam centres, often staffed by trafficked workers coerced into running crypto and romance scams targeting victims worldwide, prompting scrutiny from US and international law enforcement.