The recent rescue of Chinese actor Wang Xing from a scam park in Myanmar has attracted widespread attention.
As a typical case of scam victimization, it not only exposes the rampant cross-border scam gangs but also brings numerous similar victims to light.
The "Star Homecoming Plan" related to the Wang Xing incident, whether it can help more people escape from misery? Whether the Thai government will respond actively? All these are highly questioned.
Wang Xing Incident: A Rapidly Resolved Efficient Case
The Wang Xing incident needs no further explanation, as we already know the beginning, process, and outcome.
Lost contact on January 3, rescued on the afternoon of January 7, this incident can be described in one word: "Fast"!
Despite being taken to the scam park and undergoing "haircut" and "skill training," he was still rescued quickly, which is indeed surprising!
His successful escape was due to the cooperation of China, Myanmar, and Thailand, and the immense pressure from public opinion, without which it would have been difficult to achieve. His case has also become a symbolic victory against scam crimes, inspiring countless Chinese like Wang Xing's girlfriend Jia Jia, who are running around for their trapped relatives.
"Star Homecoming Plan": From Individual Incident to Collective Attention
On January 9, Weibo user @稀薄20 launched the "Star Homecoming Plan" document to collect information on victims trapped in Myanmar. This document was quickly disseminated once published. By the evening of January 11, the document had already collected information on more than 1500 victims.
These victims are mostly young males, including students, veterans, farmers, network engineers, police officers, and ride-hailing drivers, with disappearances ranging from 2019 to this January. Although some cases have been filed by Chinese police, there has been no substantial progress to date.
However, as expected, the document was blocked by "unknown forces" and suddenly became uneditable. Out of desperation, the initiator reactivated the document on the X platform on January 11. As of now, this document has recorded more than 2100 people. No wonder some netizens exclaimed: This is no longer ordinary fraud, but terrorism!
The document shows that these victims not only disappeared along the Thai-Myanmar border but many were also abducted or lured out of China from places like Yunnan, Kunming, and Xishuangbanna. Keywords such as Yunnan, Kunming, and Xishuangbanna emerged, and the process of being deceived also showed many similarities:
1. Deception motive: Most victims, due to family financial pressures or career failures, believed in high-paying jobs or overseas opportunities. For example: "carrying loans," "carrying imported drugs," "carrying gold," "earning tens of thousands a day," "desperate due to business failure and debt," etc.
2. Disappearance locations: Bangkok airport is a high-risk point, many victims were picked up here and then crossed the border to Myanmar parks. Records frequently describe similar scenarios: "After sending the license plate, no further contact," "Directly taken to Mae Sot after getting off the plane," "Taken away by a taxi and unable to contact," "Intercepted on the way to Chiang Mai," "Two people deceived together."
3. Crime methods: Criminal gangs gain trust through introductions by acquaintances, fake recruitment, online dating invitations, etc., and then carry out kidnappings or abductions. After getting on the vehicle, the snakeheads might carry out kidnappings in the car or hotel, and force the victims to comply through the use of anesthetics, firearms threats, etc.
4. Park environment: Victims in the park are forced to engage in scam activities, working more than 15 hours a day, and suffer from violence if they disobey. Tragedies like "small beatings every three days, severe beatings every ten days," "breaking hands," "chopping legs" are not uncommon.
The question is: Can these trapped individuals return home?
Wang Xing's rescue brings hope, but the fate of over 1500 victims in the "Star Homecoming Plan" remains uncertain.
1. Cross-border law enforcement limitations
Chinese police lack enforcement power outside the Thai-Myanmar border, and the complex local forces in Thailand and Myanmar increase the difficulty of rescue.
2. Dire situation of the victims
Victims in the park are tightly controlled, some even being sold multiple times or subjected to torture, making escape highly unlikely.
Thailand's attitude determines everything
After the "Big Four Families" scam gangs in northern Myanmar were broken in 2024, a large number of scam-related personnel moved to the Myawaddy area in eastern Myanmar. Along the Moei River at the Thai-Myanmar border, there are more than 30 scam parks. Although the behind-the-scenes boss of the "Apollo Splendor" scam park where Wang Xing was abducted has been arrested, the park is still in operation.
Thailand plays a crucial role in these parks. The building materials, power supply, and network services of the parks all come from Thailand. If the Thai side has a firm belief, just by cutting off power and network, the operational capability of the parks in eastern Myanmar could be significantly weakened.
However, unlike northern Myanmar, the eastern region is entirely controlled by local armed forces, with no internal conflicts to exploit.
Moreover, in Southeast Asia, money can shake power!
Otherwise, why would some parks have armed soldiers on guard? Cambodian businesswomen getting a path cleared by the Royal Army, Filipino businesswomen boasting about police escorts, Thai police providing training for Chinese... These are just the cases exposed by the media, not to mention many that have not been disclosed.
Power and wealth, these two things in Southeast Asia, have always been intertwined, inseparable!
China's determination, Thailand's cooperation, Myanmar's dilemma
If China's determination to combat scam crimes is a full score of 100 points, then Thailand's determination might barely reach 60 points, and Myanmar, a lawless and chaotic area, is even less likely to take proactive action.
Although due to the international impact of the Wang Xing incident, many scam gangs have reduced prices to "clear out" hostages, the question of when more victims can return home remains unanswered.
Whether the Thai government can take responsibility, how China can promote cross-border cooperation, or whether there will be a breakthrough in Myanmar's complex situation, the fate of these "stars" remains undecided. Perhaps we can only hope that miracles like the Wang Xing incident can happen again.
