On 28 February 2025, H.E. Maris Sangiampongsa, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand chaired a Thailand-Myanmar-China Coordination Meeting on Combatting Telecommunications Fraud at the Sukosol Hotel, Bangkok. The meeting was attended by H.E. Mr. Aung Kyaw Kyaw, Deputy Union Minister of Home Affairs of the Republic of Union of Myanmar and H.E. Mr. Liu Zhongyi, Assistant Minister of Public Security of the People’s Republic of China.  The Thai side comprised senior officials from the National Security Council, Royal Thai Police, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Interior, and Ministry of Finance.

The meeting reaffirmed the shared commitment among leaders of the three countries, to join forces in combatting telecommunication fraud to protect and ensure the safety of their peoples as well as of the region. To this end, the relevant agencies of the three countries will intensify cooperation under an extended coordination mechanism to strengthen law enforcement cooperation and information sharing, which will enhance effectiveness in combatting criminal syndicates in systematic way. They will work closely with other neighbouring countries towards eliminating such criminality from the region.

In addition, the meeting also addressed the voluntary repatriation of Chinese nationals from Myanmar through Thailand.  In principle, repatriation process should be pre-scheduled and conducted in an orderly and organized manner, so as to ensure efficiency and create as less impact as possible upon the daily lives of the people living in the border area.  They also  exchanged views on the repatriation framework going forward. The Thai side expressed its readiness to collaborate with China and Myanmar in this regard based on humanitarian principles. The Thai side stressed the importance of coordination and following the relevant laws and regulations of Thailand. In this connection, the three countries have reached an agreement in principle to resume the repatriation of Chinese nationals as soon as all sides are ready.

Thailand recognizes that transboundary crimes, especially telecom fraud and online scam, requires the concerted efforts across friendly countries in the region.  During high level talks, the Thai side has over the past year proposed closer cooperation with China, Myanmar, and neighbouring countries, including at the 9th Mekong-Lancang Cooperation Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, the Informal Discussion Between the Foreign Ministers of China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand in Chiangmai in August 2024, as well as the Six-Country Informal Consultations among the Foreign Ministers and high-level representatives from Myanmar, Lao PDR, Bangladesh, China, and India in December 2024 in Bangkok. This Trilateral Meeting reflects the ongoing joint efforts among the three countries to lay a clear and practical framework for cooperation and joint actions in the future based on strong bilateral ties, shared interests, with the common goal to protect their people and maintain safety in the region.