bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Enoch Wong

Chinese embassies in Thailand and Myanmar have warned their citizens to beware of recruitment scams offering high pay overseas after the recent rescue of a kidnapped actor.
Wang Xing went missing near the Thailand-Myanmar border on January 3 after being lured there by human traffickers who posed as film producers offering three times the normal market rate.
He was rescued by Thai immigration authorities on Tuesday and has since returned to China.
The incident prompted social media users to come forward with similar cases, saying their friends and relatives had also disappeared near the Myanmar border after being tricked into travelling to Thailand.
Wang’s ordeal has also led some Chinese travellers to reconsider their travel plans to Thailand for the coming Lunar New Year holiday.
China’s embassy in Bangkok on Saturday warned Chinese citizens to be alert to false job offers overseas promising “high salaries” and “free flights and accommodation”.
It also reminded visitors to follow visa regulations and not work illegally.
Victims were encouraged to report threats to local police or seek help from the embassy.
Separately, the Chinese embassy in Myanmar said on Saturday that its citizens should stay vigilant to scams.
“Do not readily believe in so-called ‘high-paying overseas jobs recruitment’ information to avoid falling into the trap of telecoms fraud and having your life and property compromised,” it warned.
Several Chinese nationals have reportedly been deceived by false job offers on social media and lured into crossing the Myanmar border illegally. After crossing they are forced to take part in telecoms scams from compounds in the Myawaddy region, which is notorious as a fraud hub.


Wang arrived at Shanghai Pudong International Airport early on Saturday wearing a head covering and face mask.
According to Global Times, his captors shaved his head and forced him, along with at least 50 others, to undergo two to three days of typing training while in confinement.
There has been no word about the others being held with Wang, prompting questions on social media about their fate.
Wang later confirmed his safe return in an emotional message on Chinese social media platform Weibo. “I am Chinese citizen Wang Xing. At this moment, I have returned to the embrace of my homeland – a place that makes me feel warmth, security and freedom,” he wrote.
Wang credited China’s strength for giving him courage and hope during his ordeal. He expressed deep gratitude to everyone who supported him, including strangers online and those who worked tirelessly for his rescue.
“I am just an ordinary person who feels fear and worry. When I was close to giving up, it was your encouragement that gave me hope, helping me hold on a little longer and find my way back to my beloved country and the people I love,” he said.
Wang also thanked the Chinese government, the embassies in Thailand and Myanmar, and Chinese and Thai law enforcement agencies that coordinated his rescue.


Chinese and Indonesian coastguards pledge deeper cooperation after first high-level talks

Chinese embassies in Thailand and Myanmar warn of ‘high-pay’ scams after actor kidnapping

Indonesia to keep pushing for South China Sea code of conduct, expand defence ties

Closer defence ties pledged as PLA joint staff chief Liu Zhenli visits Malaysia

China-Asean relations

Wang Xing said his captors had shaved his head. Photo: AP

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

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

Chinese actor Wang Xing reported missing in Thailand near notorious scam hub

Chinese actor Wang Xing, also known by his stage name Xing Xing, is said to have travelled to Thailand to take part in a film production, according to a social media user claiming to be his girlfriend. Photo: Weibo / 八卦名探

Chinese cancel Thai holidays as actor Wang Xing’s kidnapping fuels safety fears

A handout photo from the Royal Thai Police shows Chinese actor Wang Xing being escorted by officers after returning from Myanmar, at the police airport in Bangkok, Thailand, on Tuesday. Photo: EPA-EFE

News

China

Diplomacy

Alert follows case of Wang Xing, who was rescued from a compound after being lured to a border town by human traffickers


Alert follows case of Wang Xing, who was rescued from a compound after being lured to a border town by human traffickers.


Crime

Scams and swindles

Thailand

Myanmar