On January 3, mainland Chinese actor Wang Xing was invited to Thailand for a film shoot but went missing at the Thailand-Myanmar border. Amid widespread public concern, he was rescued on the evening of January 7. According to Wang Xing, after he went missing, he was held in a building to practice typing, suspected to be involved in telecom fraud activities, along with 50 other Chinese citizens.
Wang Xing was handed over to Thai authorities from Myanmar around three or four in the afternoon on January 7 and flew back to Bangkok on the morning of January 8.
During an interview with Thai media, Wang Xing revealed that he was deceived into coming to Thailand for performance work but upon arrival, his head was shaved, and he was forced to practice typing in a building with 50 other Chinese nationals, suspected to be for telecom fraud purposes.
He stated that he would cooperate with the Thai authorities’ investigation and expressed his gratitude to the Thai government for their assistance in English.
Thai police confirmed that Wang Xing would proceed to the local commission on human trafficking victims at the Thai-Myanmar border to conduct an investigation. Details of how Wang Xing was deceived and how he sought help will be made public only after confirmation. Until then, Wang Xing cannot receive visitors or leave and will undergo evaluation.
Mae Sot Police Station in Thailand released a recent photo of Wang Xing, showing him with a shaved head, dressed in a white tracksuit, and with extensive red patches on his legs. Although his physical condition appeared fine, he seemed mentally exhausted.
According to Thai police disclosures on social media, upon Wang Xing’s arrival at the Mae Sot border, someone facilitated his entry through a boat. Wang Xing, after being rescued, mentioned that he realized he had been deceived only after being brought across the border but was too afraid to resist.
Wang Xing’s girlfriend, Jiajia, also posted on Weibo that Wang Xing has been rescued and returned to Thailand but added that “I will not relax until I see Wang Xing in person.”
Jiajia played a crucial role in Wang Xing’s rescue. Following Wang Xing’s disappearance on the 3rd, she sought help from the Shanghai Public Security Bureau, the Chinese Embassy in Thailand, and the Consulate in Chiang Mai, but due to her status as a girlfriend and not a direct relative, a case could not be filed until Wang Xing’s brother rushed to Shanghai on the 4th. However, the efforts were ineffective. On the evening of the 5th, she compiled Wang Xing’s chat logs, pre-disappearance location clues, companion statements, and posted them online for a public search. She also shared the works Wang Xing had appeared in to broaden the impact, displaying clear thinking and swift action. After being rescued, Wang Xing cleverly revealed that he was detained along with 50 other Chinese individuals.
In addition to Wang Xing, according to online sources, 3 Chinese women have gone missing while traveling in Thailand, with their last known whereabouts in Mae Dong Mawadee, a local telecom fraud area known as the “Elephant Industrial Park.” The names of these women are Xuhao Ning, Lin Meiling, and Peng Xinying. All three entered Thailand on December 27.
Some netizens have suggested that these three Chinese girls were taken to Mae Dong Mawadee’s Elephant Telecom Fraud Park in Thailand and lost contact, following a similar timeline as actor Wang Xing’s deception.
According to informed netizens, Mawadee is one of the darkest telecom fraud zones in Myanmar, situated in the notorious Elephant Park, making it a hub for online fraud operations. After crackdowns in northern Myanmar, Mae Dong Mawadee has become a hotspot for telecom fraud and kidnapping gangs. Chinese individuals have been targeted as walking banknotes by Southeast Asian telecom fraud gangs, becoming their primary targets.