Chinese actor trafficked to Myanmar sold three times in days, documentary reveals

A three-part CCTV documentary titled “The Demise of Telecom Fraud in Northern Myanmar” recounts the ordeal of actor Wang Xing, who responded to a fraudulent casting call, traveled to Bangkok and was diverted toward the Myanmar border. He was seized by armed men, smuggled into Myawaddy and sold three times within four days before Chinese and Thai police located him. The joint operation rescued Wang and led to the arrest of 17 members of a cross-border trafficking ring, including recruiter Yan Shiliu.

The program also reveals three unsuccessful negotiations by Chinese officials with the Bai, Wei, Liu and Ming clans in Kokang, whose scam operations persisted until a 2023 crackdown. Footage shows execution methods inside scam compounds, and Chinese courts have sentenced dozens of repatriated fraud participants, including death sentences for members of the Ming and Bai syndicates.