Chinese national smuggled into Myanmar engaged in telecom fraud rescued: Embassy

Chinese Embassy in Myanmar announced on Thursday that it had rescued a Chinese national who was smuggled into Myanmar and was forced to engage in telecom fraud. 

The person was lured by a criminal organization and was smuggled into Tachilek city in Shan State to engage in the criminal activity of telecom fraud, and was beaten and detained with his life being threatened. 

Upon learning of the situation, the Chinese Embassy immediately coordinated with the Myanmar police to deploy police forces and carry out a rescue operation. The Chinese national has since been successfully removed to safety, the embassy said on its official WeChat account.

The Chinese Embassy once again reminds Chinese citizens not to believe the "high salary, low threshold" overseas recruitment advertisements to avoid falling into criminal schemes involving "telecom fraud and internet gambling."

If Chinese nationals are illegally detained in Myanmar, the victims or their families are requested to report to the police of China and Myanmar as soon as possible and to the Chinese embassies and consulars in Myanmar so that the police can assist in rescue and extraction. 

In recent years, online gambling and telecom fraud have caused a series of social problems in Myanmar, including murder, kidnapping and human trafficking. Some people are lured to Myanmar by the promise of high salaries. This transnational crackdown will play a positive role in combating crimes.

On March 20, a trilateral meeting participated by China's Ministry of Public Security and their counterparts in Myanmar and Thailand was held in Bangkok, Thailand to combat transnational crimes such as human trafficking and telecom fraud.

On March 23,  the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar said in its WeChat account that China hopes Myanmar will attach increased importance to the seriousness and harm of online fraud and gambling activities, to further strengthen coordination and cooperation with China, step up efforts to crack down on relevant illegal activities and create a clean environment for China-Myanmar friendly cooperation.