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Human trafficking

Human trafficking
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Human trafficking. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Chinese state media said Wang Ran was first lured to Thailand and later told a friend she was being held against her will in Myanmar
Southeast Asia forced-labour scams

Video | Chinese live-streamer held for US$90,000 ransom in Myanmar

Chinese state media said Wang Ran was first lured to Thailand and later told a friend she was being held against her will in Myanmar.

Trending in China

Viral ‘then and now’ photos of reunited Chinese woman spark trafficking debate

Trending in China

China Porsche owner covers car with 90 missing-child flyers, helps reunite family

Sexual harassment and assault

Tate brothers lose bid for release from US jail pending extradition fight

In denying bail, the judge cited the influencers’ wealth and frequent international travel as making them ‘quintessential flight risks’.

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Influencer brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate arrive in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in February 2025. Photo: AP
US-China relations

US sanctions Chinese-language Xinbi Guarantee marketplace over cyber scams

Washington also seizes Telegram channels and US$52 million in cryptocurrency linked to the platform’s alleged illicit operations.

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Sexual harassment and assault

Shackled Tate brothers ask to be released from jail during extradition fight

The influencer duo were arrested in Miami to face rape and sex-trafficking charges from the UK.

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Crime

US judge rejects Ghislaine Maxwell’s bid to overturn sex trafficking conviction

Ruling upholds 20-year sentence for former Epstein associate, finding new claims of trial errors ‘frivolous’.

Ghislaine Maxwell in a Brooklyn jail cell in 2020. She was moved from a Florida prison to a prison camp in Texas last year. Photo: US Justice Department via AFP
Scams and swindles

Asia faces scam ‘epidemic’ threat as gangs exploit agentic AI, analyst warns

The technology could allow scam syndicates to carry out multiple tasks to cheat victims at the same time without needing human intervention.

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Trending in China

Chinese abduction survivor who inspired movie enters direct PhD programme

Wenle and fellow survivors use their social media presence to support families searching for long-lost children.

US-China relations

US presses China over alleged scam bosses despite growing police cooperation

Washington says Trump raised the issue with Xi as the FBI expands cooperation with Chinese police on cyberfraud.

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Authorities say transnational cybercrime networks are becoming more sophisticated, with online scams costing victims billions of dollars each year. Photo: Getty Images
Trending in China

Public outrage after Chinese woman jailed 3 years for baby kidnapping 35 years ago

Court rules Wang committed child abduction rather than profitable trafficking, resulting in a lenient sentence.

The woman, known by her surname Wang, confessed in court that her decision to abduct the boy stemmed from her infertility diagnosis and her strong desire to experience motherhood. Photo: Shutterstock
Fame and celebrity

Meet AnnaLynne McCord, the millionaire actress who’s crowdfunding her wedding

The model and Days of Our Lives actress, who’s marrying ex-rugby star Danny Cipriani, has spoken publicly about surviving sexual assault.

Asean

Asian scam gangs snare educated English speakers with fake job ads: UN agency

Victims from over 80 different countries are being trafficked into cross-border scams, the International Organisation for Migration says.

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Myanmar

Myanmar approves death sentence in crackdown on scam centres

Junta-backed bill targets syndicate bosses with life in prison and capital punishment.

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People from China, Vietnam and Ethiopia after being released from scam centres in eastern Myanmar in 2025. Photo: AP
United States

Tate brothers to remain in US jail as they fight extradition to UK

Influencers fight extradition over new rape and sex trafficking charges as their lawyer claims prosecution lacks evidence.

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Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan in 2024. Photo: AFP
France

Modelling scout with links to Epstein found dead in France

Daniel Siad, 69, was one of several men accused of helping the US financier traffic and abuse women.

Indonesia

Video | Indonesian baby trafficking ring sentenced

The leader of the group was sentenced to seven years in prison, after being found guilty of sending at least 12 babies to Singapore.

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Cambodia

Asia-Pacific cyberscam victims lost up to US$114 billion last year: UN

The losses from online scams, mostly investment fraud, are at least triple that from 2023, reflecting a ‘dramatic scaling’, the report says.

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A Thai soldier walks near small booths lined with acoustic foam used to make scam calls inside a compound in Cambodia’s O’Smach border town on February 2. Photo: Reuters
United States

Tate brothers to fight extradition from US to UK following Miami arrests

Social media influencers appear in Miami court in handcuffs as lawyer claims arrests were politically motivated.

Thailand

Thai police arrest boxing camp manager for trafficking underage boys for sex

The suspect was captured after undercover officers posed as clients seeking sexual services from three boys aged 13, 15 and 16.

Italy

Pope visits Africa-Europe crossing as anti-migrant policies rise in US, EU

The Catholic Church’s first US pope has clashed with the administration of President Donald Trump over its treatment of migrants.

Pope Leo XIV (centre) meets with a migrant family by the arch of the monument Door of Europe, during a visit to Lampedusa island, Italy, on Saturday. Photo: AFP
United States

US billionaire Leon Black defends US$158 million paid to Epstein

‘I knew Jekyll. I didn’t know Hyde,’ the investor – who features prominently in the Epstein files – told US lawmakers.

Leon Black, Chairman, CEO and Director of Apollo Global Management, speaks at a conference in Beverly Hills, California, in May 2018. Photo: Reuters
Thailand

Thailand auctions US$18 million superyacht linked to supersized fraud

Nearly US$700 million in assets have been seized in Thailand so far, an example of the amount of dirty money sloshing through the economy.

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Hong Kong courts

1 year in prison for man who forced 2 Thai women into prostitution in Hong Kong

Gang member Chiu Hon-leung ordered subordinates to lock women in Yau Ma Tei flat in 2023 but was arrested after victims alerted Thai consulate.

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Malaysia

Bangladesh urges Malaysia to ease labour hiring curbs amid exploitation concerns

Both sides seek to ensure that the hiring process for Bangladeshi workers is transparent to protect their interests.

Bangladeshi workers who were employed by Malaysian companies protest in Dhaka last year demanding unpaid wages, fair compensation and an end to alleged abuse by Malaysian employers. Photo: AP
Chen Zhi

Cambodia raids sites linked to Chen Zhi, Chinese tycoon accused of scam empire

82 Chinese nationals among 104 people detained in Phnom Penh raids as governments around the world crack down on Chen’s scam business.

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The detained individuals are of six nationalities and are accused of running online scam operations or residing in Cambodia illegally, local media report says. Photo: Sohu
Thailand

Video | Thailand ends 60-day visa-free stay for tourists

The measure aims to strengthen national security and prevent illegal activities by foreign visitors.

Crime

Around 10 ‘new’ victims emerge in France’s expanding Epstein probe

Authorities target French perpetrators who facilitated the late American sex offender’s crimes.

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