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Leopold Chen

China’s consulate in the Thai city of Chiang Mai has promised to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens in Thailand following reports that a Chinese actor went missing near the Myanmar border.
A social media post published late on Sunday said Chinese actor Wang Xing, also known by his stage name Xing Xing, went missing in Mae Sot district in northwestern Thailand, which borders Myanmar’s Myawaddy, a city known as a hub for scam compounds.
The consulate said it was not aware of any local police reports filed by his family as of Monday afternoon.
It added that family members of the missing actor contacted the consulate on Friday, and they were briefed on the procedures for reporting missing people.
The Chinese embassy in Myanmar is aware of the issue and is verifying whether Wang entered Myawaddy, according to China Newsweek.
Wang was invited to take part in a film production in Thailand and landed in Bangkok, the country’s capital, early on Friday morning, according to a post on social media platform Weibo by a person claiming to be Wang’s girlfriend.
According to the post, Wang was led through Thai immigration control by a person posing as a film crew member.
A person claiming to be the film’s associate director initially booked a hotel room near the airport for Wang, but later informed him that it would be too late to spend the night there and urged him to rush to the “filming location”, the Weibo user said.
He was then driven to Mae Sot, some 500km (310 miles) from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport, before he lost contact, according to the post.
The social media user said she immediately reported the case to Shanghai police and contacted both the Chinese embassy in Bangkok and the consulate in Chiang Mai.
The embassy and consulate told her to report the case to Mae Sot police, she added.


The post drew wide attention and was carried by Chinese celebrities including rapper Zhang Yixing, actress Jin Chen, and Dong Chengpeng, an actor and director better known as Da Peng.
Another actor, Xu Dajiu, shared his experience of being “fooled” into travelling to Thailand by what he called a “fake film crew” on Sunday and Monday.
In two separate video clips posted on Weibo, Xu said that late last year, he saw an advertisement in a group chat seeking actors for a drama filmed in Thailand. He said he contacted the person who posted the ad and just four minutes later he was told he was selected for the role.
“After I got off the plane in Bangkok, the person who picked me up was trying to confiscate my passport, but I refused. He then left along with the driver,” Xu said.
Xu added that the “film crew” cancelled his return flight after that.
“If you are coming to Thailand to work, especially for drama filming, don’t come. They are all fake,” he said, adding that he contacted the real director of the production he was supposed to work on via Instagram and confirmed the advertisement he saw was fabricated.
On December 30, prosecutors in the city of Wenzhou in eastern China laid charges against 16 citizens of Myanmar for running fraud compounds targeting Chinese people.
Myanmar-based scammers lured Chinese citizens across the border to join the compounds with promises of high-paying jobs, according to Procuratorial Daily, a newspaper run by China’s top prosecutor’s office.
The gang is also accused of operating gambling establishments and sex trafficking.


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Crime

Chinese actor Wang Xing, also known by his stage name Xing Xing, is said to have travelled to Thailand to take part in a film production, according to a social media user claiming to be his girlfriend. Photo: Weibo / 八卦名探

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Myanmar handed members of the Ming family over to China on suspicion of telecoms fraud. Photo: Ministry of Public Security

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Vehicles travel a road in Metro Manila on February 28. China’s embassy in the Philippines has warned citizens to travel in groups, avoid high-risk areas and remain vigilant in crowds amid a crime surge. Photo: EPA-EFE

Chinese and Philippine vessels have clashed in several incidents in the South China Sea in the past year. Photo: Reuters

China iPhone users urged to turn off FaceTime app to stop scammers

Police in the mainland are warning that iPhone users are being conned out of their savings by con artists posing as authorities on FaceTime. Photo: Shutterstock Images

News

China

Diplomacy

Social media user claiming to be girlfriend of actor known as Xing Xing says his last known location was near Myanmar border city


Social media user claiming to be girlfriend of actor known as Xing Xing says his last known location was near Myanmar border city.


Social media

Myanmar

Thailand

Scams and swindles