BEIJING - A total of 1,178 Chinese nationals involved in telecom fraud cases in Myawaddy of Myanmar have been sent back to China since the beginning of this month, said the Ministry of Public Security on Monday.

The suspects have been handed over in batches via Thailand under the escort of Chinese police since Dec 1, the ministry said in a statement on its official WeChat account.

The transfer followed a ministerial meeting on Nov 14 involving China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, where participants agreed to deepen cooperation and launch coordinated crackdowns on cross-border telecom fraud.

Police forces from China, Myanmar and Thailand recently launched another round of operations focusing on the Myawaddy area, where Myanmar cleared multiple scam compounds and detained groups of suspects.

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According to the ministry, more than 6,600 Chinese nationals suspected of telecom fraud have been escorted back to China since Feb 20.

The ministry said the multinational crackdown on cross-border telecom fraud is ongoing, and China will continue strengthening law-enforcement cooperation to dismantle criminal networks and safeguard public security.