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A heartfelt appeal from families of 174 individuals allegedly trapped in Myanmar has garnered significant attention on Chinese social media following the dramatic rescue of Chinese actor Wang Xing from the Thailand-Myanmar border region.
The families, fearing their loved ones have fallen victim to human trafficking, posted a joint letter on Sina Weibo on Thursday. The plea comes in the wake of Wang’s rescue, which was widely publicized after his girlfriend, Jia Jia, raised the alarm online. The letter describes the plight of individuals, mostly young men aged 17 to 35, who have been missing for months or even years.
In a WeChat group created by the families, details about the missing individuals - including their age, hometown, and the circumstances of their disappearance - are meticulously documented. Dai, one of the group’s organizers, told the Global Times that the group aims to expand the database, raise awareness, and seek assistance for the victims.
The disappearances primarily follow two routes: some individuals vanished after entering Myanmar through Thailand, while others crossed directly from China’s Yunnan Province. Families occasionally receive messages from the victims, suggesting they are being held in Myanmar’s northern and eastern regions, forced to work in telecom fraud operations or other illicit activities.
A father, surnamed Bai, recounted how his son went missing in August 2024 after being lured to Myanmar with promises of a business opportunity. Ten days later, the son covertly sent a message revealing he was trapped in a telecom fraud center, stripped of his belongings, and coerced into illegal activities. Bai’s son described being moved between locations under heavy surveillance, with traffickers using tactics like filming victims to falsely claim they had entered Myanmar voluntarily.
The son’s distressing account also noted how scam operations are adapting to pressure from law enforcement. Increased police crackdowns in China, Myanmar, and Thailand have reportedly forced these syndicates to relocate and intensify their deceptive recruitment tactics. Victims are now being targeted with offers for jobs as actors or language teachers.
According to Zhuang Hua, an associate professor at Guangdong Police College, telecom fraud syndicates have continually refined their operations, leveraging advanced technology and new recruitment methods. Despite heightened government efforts to dismantle these networks, including stricter control over fraudulent bank accounts and phone numbers, the criminal tactics evolve, complicating eradication efforts.
The Ministry of Public Security in China has been actively collaborating with Myanmar’s authorities to combat these crimes. In September 2023, joint operations successfully dismantled major fraud centers near the China-Myanmar border. By November 2024, over 53,000 Chinese nationals linked to telecom fraud had been arrested, and large-scale operations were declared eliminated.
On December 30, 2024, 39 key members of criminal syndicates were prosecuted in China for their involvement in telecom fraud and related crimes. Thousands of other suspects remain under investigation, with over 10,000 cases linked to these networks, resulting in billions of yuan in losses and several tragic deaths.
The publicized rescue of Wang Xing has provided a glimmer of hope for families still searching for their loved ones. As discussions about the victims’ plight continue to trend online, the families hope their collective voice will lead to action, ensuring the safe return of their relatives and a stronger crackdown on transnational human trafficking.
