Kidnapped Actor Reveals Shady Scam Centres in Myanmar

Wang (right) was rescued from Myanmar on January 7

The disappearance and subsequent rescue of a Chinese actor has shone a spotlight on the shady scam centres that have proliferated along the Thai-Myanmar border.

Wang Xing, 22, went to Thailand on January 3 on the promise of film work, but was driven 500km to a scam centre in Mae Sot, where his head was shaved and was trained to make scam calls, also known as "pig-butchering scams" to persuade victims to part with a lot of their money through text messages.

After not hearing from him for days, Wang's girlfriend went online begging for help, and after it was reposted by some famous Chinese actors, the Chinese authorities stepped in, and Wang was rescued on January 7. He returned to China on January 10, but not before thanking the Chinese and Thai authorities, but said nothing about how he was rescued.

He was held in a scam centre like this one

His swift return is not like the thousands of other people who were also lured to Thailand with promises of work, but were then swiftly kidnapped and taken across the border to places like Myanmar and Cambodia where they have been forced to scam people around the world, around the clock. 

There have been stories from former "prisoners" that if they don't perform these scams they are physically beaten and given little food, and it's near impossible to escape these camps. Only a handful of people have managed to escape and lived to tell their horrific experiences.

When news broke of Wang's rescue and return, families of other Chinese nationals started a petition to have the authorities also rescue their loved ones. Initially there were 174 cases, and now there are more than 600.

"We are desperate to know if the remaining Chinese nationals [who were] with him have been rescued," wrote one commenter on Weibo. "Other people's lives are also lives."

Wang had said there were about 50 other people who were held together with him.

Wang thought he had film work in Thailand

However, Beijing has not said whether it will follow up on these other cases, while the Thai government is keen to reassure Chinese tourists that Thailand is safe, as it relies heavily on visitors from China.

Wang is extremely lucky to have a persistent girlfriend, and for the internet community to clamour for the Chinese authorities to do something. But what about the rest of these people from China, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore who are essentially imprisoned and forced to scam innocent victims? 

It is believed these scam centres that get victims' money from cryptocurrencies and money transfers are run by Chinese syndicates, so why doesn't Beijing want to crack down on them? Surely it wants to protect its own citizens, who believed a job overseas could bring in money when they couldn't find work in China?

There are more questions than answers, but in the meantime Wang's harrowing story serves not only as a warning to others, but also helps bring more attention to scam centres in Southeast Asia and how they trick people into handing over millions of dollars.

China's Former Premier Dies Suddenly

Li died suddenly Friday morning in Shanghai

As we sat down to dinner Vancouver time, there was breaking news that former Chinese premier Li Keqiang had died suddenly of a heart attack in Shanghai shortly after midnight Friday morning. He was 68 years old. 

There was no further information or an obituary from Chinese state media, only saying it would come later, which probably meant the senior leadership did not expect this news at all.

As for as the general public knew, Li did not have any health problems or recent illnesses, which is why his death comes as a shock at such a young age for a senior Chinese leader.

Li was Xi's premier for 10 years

When news of Li's passing was broadcast on Weibo, there were reports some people posted a song by Malaysian-Chinese singer Liang Jingru (also known as Fish Leong), "A pity it wasn't you", as an indirect way of criticising Chinese leader Xi Jinping. These comments were soon quickly scrubbed by censors.

Nevertheless, Li was not flamboyant like his predecessors, such as Zhou Enlai, Zhu Rongji or Wen Jiabao. Instead Li, who had a PhD in economics, quietly rose to the top, having governed two provinces (Henan and Liaoning) before the age of 50. 

Many thought the Anhui native was well qualified to be China's top leader, but Li was eclipsed by Xi. As most leaders leave the economy to premiers to tackle, Xi took over this portfolio as well, leaving Li with little to do. 

After his two terms were up, Li quietly exited stage right to let Li Qiang take over in March.

Now Xi has another funeral to plan, on top of dealing with his foreign minister sacked for allegedly having a child in wedlock, and more recently his defense minister suddenly fired too.

Ah Li... we hardly knew ye.

Zero-Covid Protests Erupt in China

Police in hazmat suits beat protesting workers in Zhengzhou

There are tremors that are becoming more agitated in the Middle Kingdom thanks to Xi Jinping's insistence on zero-Covid.

In the last two days videos have been posted on Twitter showing workers at a Foxconn factory in Zhengzhou, Henan province. There are scenes of them armed with metal sticks clashing with "dabai" or police in white hazmat suits with riot shields, and the workers are for the most part holding the line.

The workers are protesting the working conditions and pay in the biggest factory that makes iPhones.

Foxconn workers protesting pay and conditions

Last month there was the threat of a lockdown in the factory because of a Covid-19 infection and many workers fled with suitcases, literally walking hundreds of kilometres to get home. They could not take public transport because their phones would have a warning of a possible infection.

The Taiwanese factory then tried to hire more workers, but apparently the new ones found their pay was changed when they got there. One worker, Li Sanshan said he was lured by 25,000 yuan (US$3,500) for two months' of work. But when he got to the factory, he found out they would have to work an additional two months to get the 25,000 yuan.

"Foxconn released very tempting recruiting offers, and workers from all parts of the country came, only to find they were made fools of," Li said.

The company claimed it was a "technical error" and offered an apology. But Foxconn is now struggling to fill iPhone14 orders.

Chinese shocked to see maskless football fans

Meanwhile the World Cup has kicked off in Qatar, and despite its reprehensible treatment of migrant workers, banning homosexual acts and sexist treatment of women, it has allowed the thousands of football fans in the stadiums to watch the matches without masks.

When the Chinese turned on their televisions or phones to watch the matches, they were shocked -- shocked -- to see no one masked up.

"Some people are watching World Cup matches in person with no masks, some have been locked at home for a month, locked on campus for two months without even being able to step out the door," a Guangdong-based user on Weibo wrote on Wednesday.

"Who has stolen my life? I won't say."

Another Weibo user from Shaanxi province said they were "disappointed" in their country.

Chinese wonder if China on same planet as Qatar

"The World Cup has allowed most Chinese people to see the real situation abroad, and worry about the economy of the motherland, and their own youth," the user wrote.

Another questioned China's zero-Covid policy and if China was "on the same planet" as Qatar on the Weibo platform before it was censored. 

The World Cup matches are broadcast on state broadcaster CCTV, which also gives a lot of negative information about the rest of the world, claiming they are struggling with the virus. 

Now the Chinese feel like they are made fools of too...