The Big Story: Thailand's tourism entangled in Chinese TV actor’s abduction

Update: 2025-01-16

Description

A recent abduction of a Chinese TV actor to Myanmar and his subsequent release is shedding new light on the lengths to which human traffickers operating online scam centers in the war-torn country will go to in order to lure would-be victims.

Wang Xing flew to Thailand for what he expected to be a movie casting call. Instead, he was driven to a scam center in Myanmar’s Myawaddy, a notorious cyber-fraud hub across the border from Thailand.

The kidnapping has now dented Thailand's appeal among tourists just weeks before China’s biggest annual holiday. Can Thailand's tourism recover?

On The Big Story, Hongbin Jeong speaks with Gary Bowerman, Director of Check-in Asia to find more.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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