National —
On January 7th, 2025, Thai authorities successfully rescued Chinese actor Wang Xing, also known as XingXing, who had been trafficked to Myanmar after disappearing from Mae Sot, Tak, on January 3rd.
Wang Xing, renowned for his roles in popular Chinese action films and romantic comedies, was reportedly lured to Thailand with promises of a legitimate acting contract. However, he was instead forced into scammer training across the border.
The ordeal began when Xing was contacted via WeChat by fellow Chinese individuals posing as representatives of a well-known Thai entertainment company. Believing the offer was genuine, he traveled to Thailand and was transported to Mae Sot.
From there, he was smuggled across the border by local operatives. Upon arriving in Myanmar, Xing realized he had been deceived but was too fearful to resist, according to the police.
Thai authorities, responding to a plea for help from Xing’s girlfriend, Jia Jia, launched an extensive operation. Surveillance uncovered that Xing had been taken to a remote compound run by a trafficking network.
Officials coordinated with local ethnic groups to secure his release. During the rescue, it was revealed that Xing was held with over 50 Chinese nationals, many undergoing forced training to conduct online scams. It is unclear what happened to the other Chinese nationals.
Although Xing was not physically harmed, he endured mental distress during his captivity. He expressed heartfelt gratitude to the Thai police, military, and administrative officers for their efforts, stating he felt “warmly welcomed” and would return to Thailand under better circumstances. Xing stated to investigators that he was given training on how to scam fellow Chinese nationals through text messages and software during his days in captivity but did not actually scam anyone as he had not completed his training.
Thai investigators determined the trafficking ring was orchestrated by Chinese nationals targeting their compatriots. Xing was handed over to immigration police for screening before being repatriated through the Chinese embassy. No Thai nationals were actually involved in the operation, said Thai investigators.
The case underscores the growing threat of cross-border human trafficking networks in the region and has also caused alarm from the tourism industry, although relevant government officials have stressed that Thais were not involved and that these incidents target job seekers, not tourists. The Chinese Embassy is aware of the situation and working on strategies to resolve the issue.
The area in question near the Thai border in Mae Sot, in Myanmar, is controlled by ethnic armed groups like the Border Guard Force (BGF) and the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), involved in an ongoing civil war against the ruling military junta in Myanmar. Human rights groups have accused these groups of being complicit in illegal activities, but officially the groups deny this.
The Civil Society Network for Assisting Human Trafficking Victims reported that over 6,000 victims from 21 countries are detained in Myanmar currently with the majority being Chinese nationals. They have called on international cooperation to help rescue these victims and end human trafficking in the largely lawless Myanmar border areas near Tak.
This article originally appeared on our sister website The Pattaya News.
