THAI security agencies said at 12.50 p.m. today (Jan. 7) that a Chinese actor who disappeared after flying to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport from Shanghai has been found in Myanmar and the Border Guard Force said he was not kidnapped, Naewna newspaper said.
The actor would likely be handed over at around 2 p.m. today after he was found at Shwe Kokko, a town in Myawaddy Township which is opposite Thailand’s Mae Sot border town, Thai officers said.
The Chinese actor is with Lt. Maung Win, head of a Border Guard Force (BGF) unit led by Col. Saw (Maung) Chit Thu. This armed group was formerly known as Democratic Karen Buddhist Army, but was rebranded as a BGF in 2010, when it came under Tatmadaw control.
In exchange for its loyalty, the BGF has been allowed to develop significant economic interests, including a mix of licit and illicit businesses. Shwe Kokko would be the largest of the lot, Frontier Myanmar said.
In recent years, Shwe Kokko has evolved into an organized crime and human trafficking hub, due to the Myanmar government’s limited reach and oversight in this remote area. Chinese-led development projects in Shwe Kokko, including Yatai New City, have been involved in illegal gambling, human trafficking, extortion, and cyber scam operations, according to Wikipedia.
Lt. Maung Win said that both Myanmar and Thai immigration officers had coordinated and Xingxing would be released back to Thailand by 2 p.m at the 1st Friendship Bridge.
Initially, Xingxing told Lt. Maung Win that he had crossed over to visit relatives in Shwe Koko.
Earlier Mae Sot police questioned a taxi driver who drove Xinging to the border town.
Despite denial that the Chinese actor had been kidnapped, Pol. Gen. Thatchai Pitaneelabut, director of the Centre for the Protection of Children, Women, Families, Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking and the Fisheries Sector, revealed that the taxi driver who brought the actor from Suvarnabhumi airport to Mae Sot in a van had said it appeared that Xingxing was kidnapped or forced to go with others, TV Channel 7 said.
After the cabbie took him to Mae Sot border, someone else came and took him to his destination via natural channels.
Pol. Gen. Thatchai, who arrived in Mae Sot today, urged all relevant agencies to expedite investigation of this case because the nature of the incident is similar to human trafficking.
CAPTION:
Chinese actor Xingxing who disappeared after arriving in Bangkok last Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. Top photo: Naewna, Front Page photo: Thai Rath
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