Chinese TV Actor Kidnapped, Trafficked to Myanmar Scam Center

Posted on: January 8, 2025, 07:01h. 

Last updated on: January 8, 2025, 07:01h.

Philip Conneller @casinoorgphilc Read More
Expertise: Gaming Business, Regulation, Tribal Gaming.

A Chinese actor lured to Thailand by the promise of a television shoot with a major Thai entertainment company was kidnapped, smuggled over the border to Myanmar, and set to work in a scam center in a notorious casino town, authorities say.

Wang Xing, Xingxing, Chinese actor, Myanmar, trafficking, scam center, Myawaddy
Wang Xing following his apparent rescue from a Myanmar scam center. The actor says his traffickers shaved his head and told him he was not allowed to leave the complex. (Image: Royal Thai Police)

Wang Xing, also known by his stage name, Xingxing, has featured in several popular Chinese television dramas. He was found by Myanmar authorities on January 7 and brought to Thailand for questioning, three days after he was reported missing by his family, Thai police said.

Wang disappeared from Mae Sot, a Thai town bordering Myanmar, which he had traveled to voluntarily. He told Thai police that instead of being greeted by television producers, he was bundled into a car by several men and driven across the border.

Semi-Lawless Zones

He claims he was taken to a large complex where his head was shaved, and he was told he couldn’t leave. He said there were around 50 other workers in the building of many different nationalities, all with shaven heads. He claimed was forced to work in a scam call center that targeted Chinese citizens.

Wang was too scared to resist, police said. It’s not clear how he ultimately evaded the clutches of his alleged captors. An initial review of communications on Wang’s phone appear to confirm his story, police added.

Authorities suspect he was taken to Myawaddy, a town five miles across the border in southeastern Myanmar, which is home to dozens of unregulated casinos.

The area has become a hotbed of Chinese gambling development projects that often house large-scale fraud factories with links to triads and organized crime. These exist in semi-lawless zones under the protection of Myanmar’s Border Guard Force, a militia made up of former ethnic insurgents who have pledged nominal loyalty to the military junta while retaining de facto autonomy in the region.

Triad Enclaves

Local triad-linked projects include Yatai New City, which was established by She Zhijiang, an longtime illegal gambling operator who was a fugitive from Chinese justice until his capture by Thai border police in August 2022. Then there’s the Saixigang Industrial Zone, linked to “Broken Tooth” Wan Kuok-koi, a former leader of the 14K triad in Macau.

Many working in scam operations in the region – and elsewhere in Southeast Asia – are victims of human trafficking.

Wang’s case was huge news in China, having gained traction on social media after his girlfriend posted of his disappearance last week. Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said Tuesday the government was working to reduce the negative impact it might have on Thailand’s reputation as a safe tourist destination.