A CHINESE actor who disappeared after traveling to Thailand and was found near the border of Myanmar in an area where online scam networks operate was a victim of human trafficking, Thai police said Wednesday. The family of Wang Xing had requested help from the Chinese Embassy in Thailand after the actor went missing at the Thailand-Myanmar border, the Global Times reported. Authorities found Wang on Tuesday in Myanmar and brought him to Thailand for questioning, Thai police said. Wang, 22, told the police that he was lured by a promise of a job casting by a major Thai entertainment company, but instead was taken across the border into Myanmar, where police believe he was put to work in a call scam operation targeting Chinese people, said Senior Inspector General Thatchai Pitaneelaboot. The area is known as a haven for criminal syndicates who have forced hundreds of thousands of people in Southeast Asia into participating in online scams including false romantic ploys, bogus investment pitches and illegal gambling schemes. Many of the victims are trapped in virtual slavery. There also are allegations of drug trafficking. An initial review of chat logs on Wang’s phone confirmed his story, Thatchai told the Thai PBS TV. Wang told police he was too scared to resist or try to escape. Criminal activity has flourished in border areas of military-ruled Myanmar, where fighting has pitted armed ethnic groups against the army for decades. Chinese authorities had previously cracked down on criminal syndicates in joint operations with neighboring countries that led to thousands of people being returned to China. “No More Bets,” a hit Chinese film released last year, was based on true stories of scam victims and scam mill prisoners in the area, raising awareness and causing alarm in the Chinese society. Wang’s disappearance received attention after his girlfriend posted about it Jan. 5 on Chinese social media Sina Weibo, the equivalent to X. She said Wang, who has featured in popular Chinese TV dramas including “Under the Skin 2,” arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Jan. 3 before traveling to Tak’s Mae Sot district, where all contact with him was lost. Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on Tuesday said his government was working as best it could to mitigate any impact the case might have on the reputation of Thailand as a safe tourist destination. (SD-Agencies) | 