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Fan Chen

A key suspect wanted in connection with human trafficking and telecoms fraud cases – including that of Chinese actor Wang Xing – has been arrested and sent to China, Beijing’s Ministry of Public Security said in a statement posted on its website on Sunday.
The man, a Chinese national identified earlier by mainland media as Yan Wenlei, arrived in China on Saturday night after joint efforts from the ministry, the Chinese embassy in Thailand and Thai law enforcement authorities, the ministry said.
It did not say where the suspect had been arrested.
“The public security authorities are doing their utmost to investigate the case,” the ministry statement said.

Over the past month, Yan, known on social media as “Yan Shiliu”, had been posting recruitment advertisements in WeChat groups for actors, models and production crew members for work in Thailand, according to the ministry.
Wang has said that he responded to one such advertisement and reached out to Yan, who had posed as an associate director.
Wang, 22, has told authorities that he flew to Thailand earlier this month expecting to take part in a film shoot. Soon after he arrived, he said he was transported across the Thai border into Myanmar to a compound known as “Apollo” park and other online scam farms in Myawaddy, a city notorious as a fraud hub.
Wang’s ordeal caused a public outcry after his girlfriend posted on social media that he was missing. The campaign drew widespread attention to the case. Wang was later rescued and returned to China.
“The public security authorities will … make every effort to apprehend suspected criminals … [and] compress the space for cross-border crime to the maximum extent possible,” the ministry said in its statement.

Wang’s traumatic experience has sparked a flood of reports on Chinese social media about similar cases, with many users claiming their friends and relatives have also disappeared near Myanmar’s border after being tricked into travelling to Thailand.
In a joint effort earlier this month, Chinese and Thai police detained 12 members of a crime ring that they believe Yan is a member of. The gang has been accused of kidnapping six victims and trafficking them to Myanmar as part of an employment and telecoms scam, state news agency Xinhua reported.
Other victims have included a model and a lighting engineer, according to Xinhua.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi this month urged “relevant countries” to take responsibility and step up enforcement to crack down on telecoms crimes.
Telecoms fraud and kidnapping cases have sent shock waves through Thailand’s tourism industry, and the country is scrambling to ease safety concerns among visitors from China.


Last week, Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra used an AI-generated video to assure Chinese tourists that her country was improving safety.
The Thai government has come under increasing pressure to tweak its visa-free policy for Chinese visitors to combat transnational crime rings run by mainlanders to protect the tourism-dependent kingdom’s image.


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Crime

Suspect in Wang Xing telecoms scam case arrested and returned to China

Yan Wenlei is accused of posting fake recruitment advertisements on WeChat to lure people into scam farms in Myanmar. Photo: Weibo

A Chinese national wanted for human trafficking and telecoms fraud has been arrested and returned to the mainland, China’s Ministry of Public Security said. Photo: Weibo

The high-profile rescue of Chinese actor Wang Xing has put the plight of thousands trapped in scam compounds in focus. Photo: Facebook

Shady, violent operations of Southeast Asian scam farms back in spotlight

Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Actor Wang Xing was rescued after four days. Photo: Weibo/你的秘密是love幂吗

Scam farms are known to operate near Myawaddy in Myanmar. Photo: Shutterstock

A Hong Kong delegation recently visited Bangkok Photo: Sam Tsang

Kelvin (left) and Andy Yu have urged the government to communicate more with victims’ families. Photo: Jelly Tse

Thai legislator Kannavee Suebsang works for an NGO that rescues scam centre victims. Photo: Sam Tsang

Hong Kong security chief defends city’s role in recovery of scam farm captives

A Hongkonger held captive in Southeast Asia earlier returned home after his family paid a ransom. Photo: Handout

Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has ordered police and other law enforcement agencies in the country to step up measures to ensure the safety of tourists and to enhance oversight of borders. Photo: AP

Hong Kong to probe role of crime groups in luring victims to scam farms

Police and Immigration Department officers distribute leaflets to travellers warning against job scams and human trafficking. Photo: Elson Li

Secretary for Security Chris Tang has said that about two-thirds of reported cases are linked to online adverts, while the remainder involve intermediaries approaching victims at entertainment venues. Photo: Dickson Lee

News

China

Diplomacy

Key suspect is alleged member of human trafficking ring believed to be behind several kidnapping cases


Key suspect is alleged member of human trafficking ring believed to be behind several kidnapping cases.
