Chinese actor Wang Xing says fraud gang trafficked him to Myanmar scam compound

Actor who went missing near Thailand-Myanmar border confirms he fell victim to human trafficking scheme disguised as film casting call

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Chinese actor Wang Xing (right) speaks with Thai police officers in Mae Sot district, Thailand on Tuesday after being rescued from a scam compound in Myanmar. Photo: The Royal Thai Police via AP

Published: 3:18pm, 9 Jan 2025Updated: 5:59pm, 9 Jan 2025

A Chinese actor who went missing near the Thailand-Myanmar border has confirmed he was a victim of human trafficking and fraud syndicates following his rescue from a scam compound.

Thai authorities arranged for actor Wang Xing to meet his girlfriend in Bangkok on Wednesday morning, according to a social media post by the girlfriend, who identified herself only using the surname Kang.

Thai police earlier confirmed that Wang was tricked into entering Myanmar by fraud groups and lost contact with friends and family near the border between the two Southeast Asian countries. Thai police said he was rescued on Tuesday, which was confirmed by the Chinese embassy on the same day.

In video clips released by The Beijing News on Wednesday, Wang told Thai police that he was sent to a scam centre by armed people. He said there were at least 50 people trapped at the compound.

“It was only when the armed people pushed me into the car that I realised that I might not be in Thailand, but another country,” he said. “There were about 50 people in the building that I was in. There were more in another building, and people came from different countries.”

Wang said he was forced to practise typing for two to three days under high pressure, according to The Beijing News.

“I can’t sleep. I can’t eat. And I didn’t even have the time to pee,” he said in the clip, describing his experience at the compound.