今年1月3日，中国演员王星抵达泰国曼谷。他原以为自己是去拍戏，没想到却落入了电信诈骗集团的圈套。下飞机后，他被拐骗至缅甸的妙瓦底县。

幸运的是，王星有一个机智又爱他的女朋友。她一方面报警求助，另一方面通过社交媒体发声，最终成功让王星在1月7日获救。

在飞回上海的飞机上，王星回忆了自己的遭遇。他说，当时过了河，竟然完全没有意识到自己已经离开泰国。他被关押在一个地方，和他一起被关的还有大约50人，所有人都被剃光了头。

王星的经历并非个例。在他获救后，有超过170名怀疑家人被困在缅甸的中国人发起联署，恳求当局伸出援手。联合国的数据显示，大约有20万人在柬埔寨和缅甸的诈骗中心工作。这些人遭到囚禁、虐待，被迫从事诈骗活动。

由于诈骗集团的主要目标是中国人与华人，从事诈骗工作的人中也有不少中国受害者。有些人甚至形容，中国人就是“行走的人民币”。

这期的早报播客《东谈西论》，听主持人韩咏红与马来西亚太平洋研究中心首席顾问胡逸山解析东南亚为何成了绑架和诈骗中国人的犯罪温床？各国政府又应该采取哪些行动来打击这些犯罪活动？

延伸阅读：

• 新闻人间：王星拐骗案幕后黑手“颜十六”

• 谈王星案 在泰国拍戏中国公司：做好这点就安全

The story of Chinese actor Wang Xing's harrowing escape from a Myanmar scam centre has sent shockwaves through the Chinese community and raised concerns about safety in Southeast Asia. Lured to Thailand under the guise of a filming opportunity in early January 2025, Wang Xing was abducted upon arrival and trafficked across the border to Myawaddy, Myanmar.  He found himself imprisoned with around 50 other individuals, all of whom were forced to shave their heads. Thanks to his resourceful girlfriend, who alerted authorities and rallied support on social media, Wang Xing was rescued within days. 

His experience sheds light on a disturbing trend of kidnappings linked to Southeast Asian fraud operations. Following his rescue, over 170 Chinese families reported similar disappearances of loved ones in Myanmar, highlighting the alarming prevalence of human trafficking and forced labour in the region. The United Nations estimates a staggering 200,000 people are trapped in these scam centres across Southeast Asia, subjected to horrific conditions and forced to participate in criminal activities targeting Chinese communities worldwide. The lucrative nature of these scams, preying on cultural and linguistic ties, has led to Chinese individuals being cynically referred to as "walking RMB" by criminal gangs. The fear became so real that even Hong Kong singer Eason Chan cancelled his Bangkok concert due to safety concerns for his fans. 

Join host Han Yong Hong as she explores the rise of scam centres in Southeast Asia, impact on tourism and potential solutions to this growing crisis with expert analysis from Dr Oh Ei Sun, Principal Adviser, Pacific Research Centre of Malaysia.  

Hosted by Lianhe Zaobao’s Associate Editor, Han Yong Hong, Global Heartbeat is a Mandarin weekly news and current affairs podcast that is updated every Tuesday, 7.00 PM SGT. It is available on zaobao.sg, Apple Podcast, Spotify and other podcast platforms.

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