Chinese TV actor kidnapped, trafficked in Myanmar scam center

Posted: Jan 8, 2025, 07:01 pm.

Last updated: January 8, 2025, 07:01 pm.

A Chinese actor brought to Thailand after being promised a television shoot with a major Thai entertainment company was kidnapped, smuggled across the border into Myanmar and forced to work at a scam center in a notorious casino town, authorities say. Sent for.

Wang Jing, also known by her stage name Jingxing, has starred in several popular Chinese television dramas. Thai police said he was found by Myanmar authorities on January 7 and brought to Thailand for questioning, three days after his family reported him missing.

Wang disappeared from Mae Sot, a Thai town bordering Myanmar, where he had traveled voluntarily. He told Thai police that instead of being welcomed by television producers, he was forced into a car by several people and driven across the border.

semi-anarchic zone

He claims he was taken to a large compound where his head was shaved and he was told he could not leave. He said there were about 50 other employees of many different nationalities in the building, all with their heads shaved. He claimed that he was forced to work in a scam call center targeting Chinese citizens.

Police said Wang was too afraid to protest. It is unclear how he ultimately escaped from his alleged captors. Police said a preliminary review of Wang's phone communications appeared to corroborate his story.

The region has become the center of Chinese gambling development projects, home to large-scale fraud factories often linked to triads and organized crime. These exist in semi-anarchist areas under the protection of Myanmar's Border Guard Force, a militia composed of former ethnic rebels who have pledged nominal loyalty to the military junta while maintaining de facto autonomy in the area.

Triad Enclave

Local Triad-linked projects include Yatai New City, which was founded by Shi Zhixiang, a longtime illegal gambling operator who was a fugitive from Chinese justice until he was captured by Thai border police in August 2022. Then there is the Saxigang Industrial Zone, which is linked to “Broken Tooth” Wan Quoc-Koi, former leader of the 14K Triad in Macau.

Wang's case was a big news story in China, gaining traction on social media last week after his girlfriend posted about his disappearance. Thai Prime Minister Patongtarn Shinawatra said on Tuesday the government was working to minimize the negative impact on Thailand's reputation as a safe tourist destination.