Are Chinese lives really so worthless in Southeast Asia?

I've only been in Southeast Asia for a few months and am new to this industry. Honestly, seeing so many news stories about Chinese people being kidnapped and killed recently has been really upsetting and even a bit unsettling.

We all keep asking—why is this happening? Why does it seem like Chinese lives are so cheap on this land?

Is it a problem with the Chinese themselves?

Sometimes you have to admit, the phrase "mutual harm among the lower classes" is vividly embodied in some people. Once in Southeast Asia, some seem to completely let loose their nature, trampling moral bottom lines underfoot, exploiting their compatriots, harshly so even towards their own people. Are we also tacitly allowing, or even actively shaping, this environment?

Or is it a problem with these countries themselves?

The local law enforcement environment is hardly commendable, with police taking bribes and not handling matters, and a norm where the lines between right and wrong are blurred, kidnapping and extortion becoming a part of the grey industry chain. We thought the worst was injustice; but the most terrifying thing is actually the absence of anyone to enforce justice.

Or is it the destiny of this industry?

Gambling has always been a mix of grey and black, with capital, interests, and illegal methods intertwined. "A gathering of mixed fish and dragons" isn't just an adjective, it's the daily reality. An industry without boundaries and lacking regulation indeed easily becomes a breeding ground for violence and exploitation.

In the end, perhaps none of us are "outsiders."

We are all in this system, watching how it slowly devours people's moral boundaries, watching lives silently vanish. It's unclear whose fault it is, perhaps it's just that on this grey soil, too much malice is tolerated, too much goodwill dares not persist.