Chinese President Xi Jinping and Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra met to discuss many issues, among which the combat against gambling scams
In a meeting marking the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Thailand, Xi Jinping and Paetongtarn Shinawatra agreed to crack down on gambling scams and fraud.
Xi and Paetongtarn Discuss Gambling Scams Issues
Chinese President Xi Jinping recently met with Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra who visited Beijing. A part of the talks held revolved around online gambling and the scams and fraud that plague the Southeast Asia market. Xi and Paetongtarn vowed to crack down on these activities with the Chinese president thanking his Thai colleague for the “strong measures” her country has taken against this trend.
CCTV, a Chinese state media outlet, reported that Xi said that China and Thailand should further enhance their cooperation in law enforcement, security, and the judiciary to protect the safety of people’s lives and property. This is to aid the order of interaction and cooperation between the two countries in the region.
Paetongtarn has been reported to have said that the country is willing to strengthen law enforcement cooperation with China and other neighboring countries. She explained Thailand is resolute in taking effective measures to curb cross-border crimes like online gambling and telephone fraud.
Paetongtarn’s words come at a time when the country is tightening regulations on its gambling industry and also starting to conduct more operations against illegal gambling activities. Thailand has also been involved in some recent scandals such as gambling tycoon She Zhijiang claiming she was inhumanly treated while being detained in a Thai prison.
Thailand Takes New Measures
In recent years, Thailand has seen an influx of various gambling-related scams. Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos, all of which share borders with Thailand, have become key hubs for such activities. Victims are often deceived by fraudulent job advertisements promising high salaries. Sometimes individuals are trafficked to hidden compounds where criminal groups are responsible for online scams targeting people globally.
Many Chinese nationals have also fallen victim to these illegal practices with Chinese actor Wang Xing being the latest such victim. According to Thai police, the actor was lured by a promise of a job casting by a major Thai entertainment company. However, he was instead trafficked into Myanmar. There, he was allegedly forced to work in a call scam operation targeting Chinese people.
In addition, Wang told the Thai police that there were about 50 other Chinese at the same location in Myanmar. Like him, all had their heads shaved and he said he was too scared to resist or try to escape.
High-profile cases like this have hurt Thailand’s reputation, prompting Thai and Chinese officials to take public steps to address the issue. On Wednesday, Thai authorities cut off the electricity supply to five areas in Myanmar where fraud centers are allegedly located.
