Thailand seeks to minimize tourism impact from the incident
Bloomberg
Wang Xing, also known as Xingxing by his screen name, was found by Myanmar authorities on Monday and is expected to be handed over to Thai authorities later on Tuesday, according to Tourism Minister Sorawong Thienthong. Wang disappeared on Friday from Mae Sot, a Thai town bordering Myanmar, after he arrived in the country for what he believed to be a television shoot, according to Chinese media.
Reports of Wang’s disappearance sparked widespread discussion on Chinese social media platforms with some users speculating he may have been kidnapped to work in a scam center in Myanmar. Wang’s girlfriend claimed in a post that the actor had boarded a vehicle from Bangkok before losing contact in the border town.
Thai officials are wary of the impact of the episode on Chinese travelers, who make up the largest group of visitors to the tourism-reliant nation. Chinese tourist arrivals are yet to return to the pre-Covid levels though other markets have beaten the 2019 levels.
The impact on tourism, if any, will not last long, Sorawong said, adding that the Thai government will work to rebuild confidence among tourists. The minister has sought the Chinese ambassador’s help to dispel the perception that Thailand was unsafe for Chinese tourists.
“We will handle this issue with care to minimize the impact on tourism,” Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said. “There have been many rumors that got blown up on social media about Thailand being unsafe.”
A 2023 blockbuster Chinese movie “No More Bets” depicted two Chinese characters being trapped in a scam center after being lured on the pretext of high-paying jobs, sparking concerns among tourists about safety in Southeast Asia.
Thai police will investigate whether Wang had arrived in Thailand for work, or had been deceived from the beginning, Sorawong said.
Across Southeast Asia, the billion-dollar cyber scam operations have been expanding, particularly in Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar, according to a recent report by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. Many working in the scam operations in the region are also themselves victims of human trafficking.
With Myanmar gripped by a civil war after a coup in 2021, cyber crime syndicates have been flourishing. Often run by Chinese fugitives who fled their home nation in 2020 following a domestic crackdown, they have taken cover in areas of Myanmar where the military regime is losing control over territories to rebels.
Earlier this week, state broadcaster China Central Television reported that Myanmar transferred 41,000 suspects involved in telecommunication scams to China last year, as Beijing continues to crack down on an illegal industry that has siphoned billions of dollars from unsuspecting victims. ■
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