Chinese model saved from human traffickers in Myanmar

A Chinese citizen was successfully rescued after being deceived to Myanmar via Thailand with a job offering to model for a magazine shoot, the Chinese embassy in Thailand said on Friday.

The 23-year-old Chinese man surnamed Zhong was tricked and trafficked into Myanmar after arriving at Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok in June. He was told he would be shooting for a magazine cover, China Media Group reported.

Zhong's sister, who received a suspicious call from him when he was in an unidentified location in Myanmar, reported him missing to police in Guangzhou and Bangkok.

In a statement released on Friday, the Chinese embassy said the rescue of Zhong was a joint effort of various parties without revealing more details.

The embassy further cautioned Chinese citizens about the risks associated with "high-paying jobs" abroad and clarified that foreigners in Thailand must obtain the appropriate permits to work legally.

Following this incident, China and Thailand agreed to establish a coordination center in Bangkok to investigate and combat such fraudulent groups moving forward, Thailand news portal The Nation reported.

Criminal networks have trafficked hundreds of thousands of people to scam compounds across Southeast Asia, many along the Thai-Myanmar border, where victims are forced to work in illegal online schemes, according to the United Nations.

Early this year, Chinese actor Wang Xing went missing at the Thailand-Myanmar border after arriving in Thailand for a supposed film shoot, causing widespread public concern in both China and Thailand.

Apart from Wang, several Chinese actors were also reported being misled into traveling abroad under the pretense of filming opportunities, according to the Actors Committee of the China Federation of Radio and Television Associations. It had urged actors and entertainment companies to carefully verify any invitations before engaging in cross-border work.

Over recent years, Chinese authorities have made coordinated efforts to fight these rampant crimes.

In January, law enforcement authorities of China, Myanmar and Thailand reached a consensus to further strengthen trilateral law enforcement cooperation, establish a joint anti-crime mechanism, and jointly tackling wire and cyber fraud, human trafficking, and other cross-border crimes.

Thailand has also initiated multiple measures to combat scam operators in eastern Myanmar, such as tightening visa rules and cutting electricity and fuel into Myanmar from Thailand.