Last week, a little-known Chinese actor was kidnapped from Thailand to the center of a scam on Myanmar's northwest border, damaging Thailand's tourism industry.
Wang Xing was rescued three days later – unlike thousands of other foreigners trapped in a lawless area near the town of Myawaddy – and news of the drama sparked widespread concern in Thailand and China.
Wang Xing, 31, was lured to Thailand by a compatriot to audition for a film shoot, then drove 500 kilometers north and took a boat across the Moai River, avoiding immigration checkpoints as he crossed the border near the town of Mae Sot.
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Wang was found in Myanmar two days after his disappearance, possibly by a Chinese police unit in a Thai town that monitors criminal activity by Chinese gangs in the fraud centers across the river around Myawaddy, an area dominated by Myanmar's Karen ethnic group. Militia control is aligned with Myanmar's military regime.
The region has become one of Asia's most notorious crime centers due to the number of scam centers run by Chinese triads. will flourish in Myanmar.
'The incident dampened tourist enthusiasm'
Thai police said Wang, a victim of human trafficking, was put on a boat to cross the narrow Moi River. Realize that I have been cheated, but dare not resist.
At least not like Two other Chinese nationals are still missing Mr Wang is believed to have been held on the other side of the border but was able to return to Thailand. The circumstances of his release are unclear, but ransom payments are not uncommon for people held in these centers.
At issue for Thailand is the case of Mr Wang, who appeared delirious and had his head shaved while being detained at a fraud centre, which was widely reported on Chinese social media.
Wang reportedly underwent two days of wire fraud training targeting other Chinese victims before being released. South China Morning Post“As the annual Lunar New Year travel peak approaches, this incident quickly dampened the enthusiasm of Chinese tourists to travel to Southeast Asian destinations,” the statement said.
A search for “How to cancel a trip to Thailand?” on the Chinese lifestyle platform Xiaohongshu “Xiaohongshu” generated more than 380,000 posts last Thursday.
And thanks to popular local movies like “No more bets”Chinese citizens are well aware of the dangers of Southeast Asian fraud syndicates, which are also very active in the northern Laos Special Economic Zone and parts of Cambodia.
Needless to say, this case immediately sounded the alarm for the Thai government. Why? Because China is their largest source of foreign tourists.
Last year, the total number of Chinese tourists who visited the “Land of Smiles” was 35.3 million, including about 6.73 million. It is said that international tourists will generate 1.67 trillion baht ($48 billion) in revenue by 2024.
China cancels tour groups
So it's not enough for Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, to order officials to crack down on crimes linked to scam centers to minimize damage to Thailand's reputation as a safe travel destination. No wonder.
Government spokesperson Jirayu Huangsub said today that Paetongtarn has informed the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the launch Activities designed to boost visitor confidence and ordered police to closely monitor the activities of influential gangs.
Tourism agencies initially expected tourist arrivals from China to fall by 20-30%, but the Bangkok Post reported on Tuesday that hotels and airlines were already starting to see mass cancellations during the upcoming Chinese New Year holiday.
The situation is difficult for the government because criminal Crime syndicates operating in Myanmar said to have raised billions Victims have come from around the world, and their alleged dark roots have spread to both sides of the border, including the town of Mae Sot and Tak province.
When I visited the town last September, I was told that it was not unusual to see local officials driving around in Lexus and other nice cars. Scam centers have long been able to get power and internet access through Thailand, suggesting that efforts to crack down on them are often half-hearted.
Promote legal casinos
Meanwhile, the other big news in Bangkok this week is that Thailand’s cabinet approved a draft law that would Legalizing gambling and casinos.
The law, which has yet to be tabled in parliament, will stipulate that gambling activities must take place in large entertainment venues.
The move is not surprising as many of Thailand's neighbors have large casino resorts and the Shinawatra government has argued for years that banning casinos would be like denying revenue.
However, officials at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime said last year they had warned the Thai government that legalizing casinos would only open the door to more criminal activity. Gangs operating fraud hubs in the region will have more places to launder the funds they loot from around the world.
See also:
UN says Southeast Asian criminal networks rely on Telegram, cryptocurrencies
Weak ASEAN countries “face the risk of evolving into fraud countries”
“US to sanction prominent Cambodian figures linked to fraud hub”
North Korean hackers use Cambodian company to launder stolen cryptocurrency
Report says Southeast Asian fraud syndicates stole US$64 billion in 2023
Asia's high-tech crime wave: Internet scams, casinos rob billions of dollars
Big tech companies are doing “nothing” to combat rampant scams on social media
Macau junket king Chow Cheuk-wa was sentenced to 18 years in prison for casino crimes
Criminal groups control parts of Myanmar, Laos economic zones: United Nations
