In recent years, telecom fraud has been rampant in the northern region of Myanmar, and attention to this area has gradually heated up with the emergence of the Wang Xing incident.
Similar missing cases have been continuously disclosed, and the "Stars Homecoming Plan" has gathered information on more than 2000 people deceived into northern and eastern Myanmar!
Tourism in Thailand has been impacted, and the domestic focus on fraud issues and the exposure of various related information inevitably lead to speculation: Is this another prelude to an operation against telecom fraud in Myanmar?!
Wang Xing Incident: A Shocking Trigger for Public Opinion
The Wang Xing incident is undoubtedly one of the most influential news stories recently. This obscure Chinese actor, invited to work abroad, arrived in Thailand but went missing at the Thai-Myanmar border, causing an uproar in public opinion.
Initially thought to be a simple fraud case, the growing influence forced the Thai government to take it seriously, quickly setting up a special task force and collaborating with multiple departments. In just about 3 days, they successfully rescued him.
However, the speed of the rescue raised doubts: If Thailand could rescue someone in just 3 days, why is there such tolerance for the border's electric garden areas? Both electricity and internet are provided?
After the incident, the Prime Minister of Thailand also hurriedly whitewashed Thailand, repeatedly declaring that Thailand is safe and that the negative rumors about Thailand are false! He hopes that Chinese people can come to travel without any concerns!
Moreover, the Thai police have also strengthened their crackdown on the border areas, while introducing a series of measures to ensure the safety of tourists, including establishing a "Tourist Safety Center" and launching a police APP that supports Chinese services.
The authorities also promised to strengthen the protection of victims of telecom fraud, hoping to restore Chinese tourists' confidence in Thailand.
Wang Xing Incident Impacts Thailand's Tourism Industry
However, the crisis did not subside with Wang Xing's safe return to China. The trust of Chinese tourists in Thailand has obviously been severely affected. Just a few days after Wang Xing's return, rumors circulated online that many Chinese travel groups that had booked trips to Thailand had canceled their plans, and videos emerged showing planes to Thailand completely empty.
Following this, Spring Airlines topped the hot search list for refusing to refund tickets to Thailand, and other airlines were also reported in similar news.
According to statistics, on the eve of the Spring Festival, the number of ticket refunds from China to Thailand surged by 155% compared to the same period last year, and many travel groups canceled their itineraries to popular routes like Chiang Mai and Bangkok.
The Thai Travel Agents Association predicts that the decrease in Chinese tourists could lead to a loss of 5 billion Thai baht (about 1 billion RMB) in Thailand's tourism industry during the Spring Festival. In some areas, like Chonburi Province, up to 40% of Chinese travel groups have canceled their hotel bookings.
At the same time, flight prices have also fluctuated significantly, with some passengers who purchased tickets at high prices seeing their costs drop by thousands of yuan within days, directly affecting consumer confidence. Although cheaper, they dare not easily "pick up a bargain," as safety is still more important!
(PS: It is said that some local Thai guides, driven to desperation, are pulling Chinese tour groups and shouting the slogan "Thailand is very safe.")
Domestic Anti-Fraud Propaganda in China Intensifies: A Growing Media Offensive
Looking at China's domestic situation, the crackdown and propaganda against telecom fraud have not stopped for a moment. On January 10, the Ministry of Public Security held a press conference, announcing that by the end of 2024, the police had arrested more than 53,000 suspects involved in fraud crimes and dismantled the "Four Major Families" crime syndicates in northern Myanmar. Although some parks have been cleared, other overseas fraud dens are still operating.
The recent "Loyalty and Devotion 2025 Police Festival Special Program" also detailed the dark scenes of the northern Myanmar fraud parks: victims are treated as "commodities" and repeatedly bought and sold, with frequent occurrences of violent abuse and illegal detention, and even terrifying transactions involving organ trafficking. These details are shocking and have triggered a strong social response.
Articles online have also exposed the inaction of Thai and Myanmar authorities in transnational crimes! Horror medical ships harvesting organs, fraud groups colluding with warlords, and corruption issues are further fueling these criminal activities!
Although the Thai side plans to cut off water and electricity to these parks, the slogans are loud, but the implementation is never seen!
Recently, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen met with Wang Wenbin, the Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia, and revealed that a Chinese national leader will officially visit Cambodia.
On January 15, the Ministry of Public Security issued a notice: Cases of Chinese citizens being deceived and stranded overseas are frequent, and the Ministry of Public Security attaches great importance to this, has deployed local public security organs to comprehensively sort out the situations of Chinese citizens missing or trapped abroad, and is fully conducting investigative work, while coordinating with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and our embassies and consulates abroad to assist in rescuing trapped individuals.
On the same day, leaders of Myanmar's BGF and DKBA held an emergency meeting with Chinese entrepreneurs to discuss responses to transnational crimes, fraud, and human trafficking activities!
All of these actions send the same signal: The telecom fraud parks have attracted high attention from multiple countries! Multiple countries are negotiating cooperation and are poised to act!
Is it a prelude to action? Familiar media groundwork
It must be said that this series of events and concentrated reports are quite similar to the previous media offensive against the "Four Major Families" crime syndicates in northern Myanmar. Whether it's the public attention triggered by the Wang Xing incident or the high-frequency domestic propaganda against fraud issues, both are laying the groundwork for further action.
Previously, the campaign against the "Four Major Families" also started with the event of four suspected undercover Chinese police officers being killed, followed by cross-departmental and transnational collaboration, continuously clearing the fraud parks.
The media groundwork and focus on events are just the prelude to action. The current situation seems to indicate that a new round of crackdowns is about to unfold!
The media groundwork is already in place, and the relevant countries are increasingly paying attention to the issues of the telecom fraud parks! With China's lobbying and personnel and equipment, breaking through the telecom fraud parks is just a matter of time!
