The government of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra is being urged by politicians at home to place the issue of a scam city in neighboring Myanmar on the national agenda following the controversial case of a Chinese celebrity, Wang Xing.
Pressure is also mounting on the government from other countries to take a proactive role in dealing with this crisis as thousands of people from 21 countries are being held hostage in Myanmar.
The Thai border town of Mae Sot was under the spotlight again at the beginning of the year 2025, as Wang reportedly went missing on January 3 after an offer via the WeChat application for an acting job in Thailand.
The 31-year-old Chinese actor, better known as Xing Xing, was mysteriously rescued from a scam center in Myanmar opposite Mae Sot on January 7.
Media reported that he was arrested for illegal entry into Myanmar territory, which is controlled by the Karen National Army (KNA), an armed ethnic organization, before being handed over to Thai police.
Wang told the media that he realized the difference from his previous shooting in Thailand in 2018 when he was picked up in a car from Suvarnabhumi Airport to the border town and later ended up having his head shaved and being forced to undergo training on how to scam people using phone calls.
Paetongtarn said shortly after the Chinese actor was found that her government would handle the case with special care to prevent a negative impact on tourism.
“Numerous rumors are circulating on social media portraying Thailand as a frightening place. Therefore, efforts are being made to address the situation with utmost care,” she said, adding that she had instructed the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society to take care of rumors in social media.
Paetongtarn said she had told her foreign minister to coordinate with all concerned countries including China, seeking cooperation about cybersecurity and safety of technology usage.
All along the border
Chinese actor Wang initially crossed the border from Mae Sot’s Mae Kon Ken village to a casino site run by a Chinese group in the same network as scam city KK Park.
He later was sent to Taizhang, another scam city, opposite Chang Khaep sub-district of Phop Phra district, according to Police General Thatchai Pitaneelabut of the anti-human trafficking center.
Studies conducted by academics and various organizations indicate that scam hubs—mostly known in Thailand as “call centers” near the Myanmar-
Thailand border, particularly in Karen State, highlighted the rise of cybercrime operations where trafficked individuals are forced to perpetrate online fraud schemes for years.
Most of these scam centers are located near the Thai border, primarily in Karen State. Key hotspots include cities like Shwe Kokko, which has become a major hub for online scams and other illegal activities such as money laundering, human trafficking, and arms trading.
Shwe Kokko, which emerged in 2019, was reportedly relocated to another place following pressure from Chinese authorities via Myanmar’s military government and Thailand’s power cut-off in June 2023.
Another similar hub is KK Park in Myawaddy, which mirrors Shwe Kokko's role as a center for online scams. This city is notorious for the mistreatment of laborers, who are compelled to deceive people in other countries through internet-based scams.
A newer hub gaining attention in the past year is a city known by various names, such as Chong Khaep, Taizhang, and Tha Chang per Chinese and Thai language accents.
Located 50 kilometers from Myawaddy, it lies across the border from Chong Khaep sub-district in Tak province's Phop Phra district.
These operations are run by criminal groups led by Chinese nationals, with protection provided by KNA, which was previously under the Border Guard Force (BGF)—an armed group allied with the Tatmadaw—while many other scam centers are still protected by BGF.
Thousands of victims waiting for help
The Civil Society Network for Victim Assistance in Human Trafficking revealed recently that over 6,000 individuals from 21 countries are currently being held captive in Myanmar.
Among the victims are 3,900 Chinese nationals, who are said to endure severe physical and psychological abuse, while their families are burdened with exorbitant ransom demands.
On January 9, the civic group, along with representatives from nine countries – Kenya, Bangladesh, Brazil, Ethiopia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Laos, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan – submitted an open letter online to Thailand’s National Human Rights Commission asking for urgent intervention to rescue trafficking victims in Myanmar.
“I believe the Thai government can take action because the area is much closer to Thailand than to China. If immigration officers in Tak or elsewhere in
Thailand thoroughly monitor and investigate cross-border movements, it could help rescue many more people,” said a representative of victims from Bangladesh.
“If the Thai government engages in talks with the BGF, I believe there’s a 99 per cent chance they would ask the Chinese gangs to release the captives. These groups rely on Thailand, and without help some of the captives might end up taking their own lives to escape the brutal conditions they are facing,” he said.
National agenda
Rangsiman Rome, an MP from the opposition People’s Party, urged the government to put the scam center issue on the national agenda to mobilize resources for tackling the root of the problem.
“This issue cannot simply be viewed as a problem of other countries—it is very much our problem as well. We are no different from being facilitators for call-center scams,” he said.
“When these call-center gangs engage in human trafficking, they often claim their victims are coming to work in Thailand. Today, we must acknowledge that Thailand needs to do far more than it is currently doing. Regrettably, we have allowed this issue to be neglected for too long, he added.
Rangsiman, as the chairman of security, border affairs, and national strategy committee of the House of Representatives, invited officials from many relevant agencies to testify before the House on January 8 but obtained no significant information from the government officials.
“The only additional information provided is that the number of locations [of scam cities in Myanmar] has increased from 35 to 40, meaning 5 new sites have been identified,” Rangsiman told reporters.
When combined nationwide, there are now 75 sites surrounding our borders: 40 in Myanmar, 5 in Laos, and 30 in Cambodia. This reflects a massive industry, but there is still no concrete indication of how it will be suppressed or addressed effectively, he said.
