BEIJING — Chinese and Thai police have jointly arrested 12 domestic and foreign criminal suspects in scam operations that led to Chinese nationals going missing and getting trapped, China's state security ministry reported on Friday.
In a statement, the ministry vowed to keep up a "high-pressure crackdown" on cross-border telecommunications network fraud.
On Thursday, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged crackdowns by Southeast Asian nations on online gambling and telecom fraud, adding that a slew of such cases on the Thai-Myanmar border threatened and harmed citizens of China and other countries.
Chinese tourists contributed billions of United States dollars to Southeast Asian countries' economies before the coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic. However, concerns about trafficking and reports on Chinese social media of travellers being targeted by gangs may discourage them from visiting the region.
In a recent high-profile case, Wang Xing, also known as Xingxing, a Chinese actor who went missing earlier this month near the Thai-Myanmar border was found in Myanmar. Thai police said last week they believed he was a victim of human trafficking.
Chinese actor Wang Xing meets with Thai authorities following his return to Tak province from Myanmar on Jan 7, 2025. (Police photo)
Thai policymakers agreed to "speed up the resolution of the problems impacting Thailand's image as a safe tourism destination" during a cabinet meeting on Monday, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday.
Last year, Thailand helped facilitate the transfer of about 900 Chinese nationals who had been trapped in scam centres in Myawaddy, while in 2023, Myanmar handed over 31,000 telecom fraud suspects to China.
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