Hong Kong's Eason Chan axes Thai show over 'safety issues' for Chinese citizens
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Hong Kong's Eason Chan axes Thai show over 'safety issues' for Chinese citizens

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Eason Chan performs in Shenzhen on his “Fear and Dream World Tour”. (Photo: Facebook/Fear and Dreams World Tour via South China Morning Post)
Eason Chan performs in Shenzhen on his “Fear and Dream World Tour”. (Photo: Facebook/Fear and Dreams World Tour via South China Morning Post)

Hong Kong singer Eason Chan Yik-shun has cancelled his coming concert in Thailand, with the organiser citing safety concerns for Chinese citizens and fans travelling to the country.

The Cantopop star's Bangkok concert, scheduled for Feb 22, was axed just days after a mainland Chinese actor was reported missing while travelling in Thailand. Actor Wang Xing was later rescued from an online scam syndicate just across the border in Myanmar.

The decision on Chan's show was made "in light of recent safety issues concerning Chinese citizens and fans travelling to Thailand", organiser Sunfan Media Group said on Friday.

"After careful discussions with Eason Chan, his management team, and the relevant companies in Bangkok, we have made the cautious decision to cancel the Eason Chan Fear and Dreams World Tour Bangkok concert," a spokesman said.

"We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this cancellation may cause you."

The cancellation of the show at Bangkok's Impact Arena followed news that actor Wang had been rescued at the Thai-Myanmar border earlier this week.

Wang, also known as Xingxing, had gone missing in the area on Jan 3 after arriving in Thailand.

Authorities suspect he was lured to the country by a fake casting agent under the guise of a filming job and ended up being taken to the border before losing contact with his girlfriend.

Thai authorities rescued Wang from a fraudulent online scam operation in a Myanmese city bordering Thailand on Tuesday. Wang appeared disoriented in photos released by authorities and his head had been shaved.

Wang's case follows a string of similar incidents in recent years, in which Chinese citizens were scammed into travelling to Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Cambodia or Myanmar, and then kidnapped to work at phone fraud centres, where they could also be tortured.

The increasing number of such cases has reduced Chinese tourists' confidence in travelling to Thailand, which relies heavily on the sector for economic growth.

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