Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), said in a statement that China is highly concerned about the online gambling and telecommunication fraud that has taken place on the border between Thailand and Myanmar and will take strong measures to crack down on the situation.
According to official state media CCTV, Wang said during a meeting with envoys of 10 ASEAN countries in Beijing that a number of internet gambling and telecommunication fraud cases have occurred along the Thai-Myanmar border, which have threatened and jeopardized the interests of the citizens of China and other countries, and need to be taken seriously.
“We hope that the countries concerned will take up their responsibilities and adopt strong measures to combat Internet gambling and telecommunication fraud, safeguard the lives and properties of the people, and never allow criminals to go unpunished,” he said.
“China is willing to strengthen bilateral and multilateral law enforcement and security cooperation with ASEAN countries so as to provide a safe and secure environment for the people of all countries to come and go without fear, and to maintain a good order of interaction and cooperation among neighboring countries.”
Last month, a mainland Chinese actor, Wang Xing, fell victim to a scam network during a trip to Thailand and was forced to work at a scam hub in northern Myanmar. Although he was successfully rescued by Thai authorities, a large number of mainland travelers have recently canceled their trips to Thailand, with the incident causing significant concern across the region.
According to some mainland media reports, a large number of travelers from various provinces have canceled their air tickets to Thailand, and there are more than 690,000 posts on a mainland social media platform about “cancellation of air tickets and hotel services in Thailand”, noting that there has been a 155% increase in the refund rate of air tickets to Thailand recently.
On 9 January, Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said the incident shows Thailand needs to strengthen and improve the relevant laws and regulations, and crack down on related crimes.
“We need to prevent Thailand from becoming a transit point for crime,” she stated.
The main fraud zone on the Thai-Myanmar border is known as “KK Park” – a two-square-kilometer zone in Myawaddy, Karen State that can accommodate nearly 10,000 people.
KK Park is known to focus on online gambling and telecommunications fraud, Those caught up in illegal activities there have largely been mainland Chinese residents, with some Hong Kong and Macau residents having also been lured.
According to Macau’s Judiciary Police, a recent investigation revealed that five Macau residents had been tricked or abducted to work in scam hubs in Myanmar, four of whom have been detained by the local police. The other successfully escaped from the ring and returned safely to Macau.
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