MYANMAR: Dissolution of Scam-Linked Fully Light Group Hits Myanmar Junta Where It Hurts

Posted by Asia Views | Mar 11, 2026 | 0 |

Irrawaddy-Mar 5

Myanmar’s junta has announced the formal dissolution of Fully Light Group, a multibilliondollar Kokang-based conglomerate run by the powerful Liu family and junta-aligned Border Guard Force (BGF), as China ramps up its crackdown on crossborder cyberfraud. According to the junta-run Myanmar Gazette, the company was struck off on February 11 following a resolution passed at a shareholders’ meeting the same day. Creditors and debtors have been given until March 13 to settle outstanding claims. Fully Light Group, valued in the billions of US dollars, operated more than 30 subsidiaries across the gems, hotels, tourism, rubber, real estate, and crossborder sectors. The dissolution of Kokang’s onetime biggest conglomerate comes a few years after its owners were arrested and indicted by Chinese authorities for running online scam operations in northern Shan State.

The dissolution is being overseen by Liu Jikai—also known as Maung Maung Thein—the eldest son of Fully Light founder and former Kokang militia leader Liu Zhengxiang. He is a director of Fully Light Group and Ayeyarwady Partners Trading Co. Ltd, and serves as a Myanmar representative for the Chinese truck brand SHACMAN. Liu Jikai has so far avoided legal action from either Beijing or Naypyitaw—unlike his father, uncle and younger brother, Liu Jiguang. His father, clan patriarch Lui Zhengxiang, and uncle Zhengqi are known for their close ties to junta chief Min Aung Hlaing, who awarded them honorary titles in Naypyitaw following the 2021 coup.

Founded in 1992, Fully Light Group grew into one of the most powerful business empires in northern Shan State. Its portfolio included a US$ 700million real estate project in Mandalay’s Yadanarpon and investments in China. The group also expanded into Cambodia, where it established the GoBo East Casino in 2017. The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) says Fully Light and Liu Zhengxiang have funneled financial support to Myanmar’s military regime.

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EXTRICATING NDONESIAN CHILDREN FROM ISIS INFLUENCE ABROAD

Indonesia urgently needs to revisit the possibility of repatriating the neediest of its young citizens stranded abroad, whose families had earlier joined ISIS. Most of these children are in camps in northern Syria but there are also small numbers in the Philippines, Afghanistan and Iraq. “Extricating Indonesian Children from ISIS Influence Abroad”, the latest report from the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) argues that the government could begin by bringing back small groups of unaccompanied children under ten years of age, who pose minimal security risk and are most vulnerable to deteriorating conditions in the camps.“The problem is that health and security conditions are worsening by the day in the Syrian camps, and the children are growing older,” says Dyah Kartika, IPAC analyst. “They need access to schools, a nurturing environment, and medical attention. If the government waits too long, the children will be further exposed to ISIS ideology.” The new report examines a 2019 list of Indonesians in camps and prisons run by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The Indonesian government has been trying to verify their citizenship, but with pseudonyms, misspellings and bad transliterations, it is a daunting task. At the time the data was collected, between March and June 2019, there were 555 Indonesians in SDF camps and prisons, including 367 children. Among the children, approximately 277 were under the age of ten and 34 were unaccompanied. In June 2021, there are fewer than ten children who are both unaccompanied and under the age of ten that could be prioritized for return. Bringing back children of ISIS families is no easy task. The report analyses the main challenges faced by the Indonesian government. These include definitional issues, bureaucratic competition, the difficulty of verifying nationality, evaluating the toll of exposure to conflict, assessing security risk, and finding relatives or others willing to provide care once the children are returned. In addition, COVID has meant stringent restrictions on travel, placing further obstacles in the way of repatriation. There are several models for rehabilitation of children exposed to violent extremism in Indonesia that could be modified to accommodate the needs of children repatriated from abroad. The report examines these models and argues that the government does not need to have every detail of rehabilitation programs in place before it starts extricating children from ISIS influence. It can start by bringing back the most vulnerable children and then modify programs as needed.

“It’s important that the government see these children as victims” says Dyah. “They deserve a chance to be children again.”

MYANMAR: Dissolution of Scam-Linked Fully Light Group Hits Myanmar Junta Where It Hurts

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