Since October 6th, Ms. Han from Wuxiang County, Changzhi City, Shanxi Province has made multiple public appeals, claiming that her brother Han Shaojie was invited to Thailand for a filming project and went missing a day after landing. Signs indicate that Han Shaojie may have fallen victim to an online scam. On October 11th, Ms. Han posted on social media saying that her brother had landed in China and reunited with the family, mentioning that they would not disclose too many details publicly. But netizens questioned why the rescue details were not made public.
According to a report from “Chang’an Street Knows Things” under the “Beijing Daily,” Han Shaojie’s sister posted on social media on Sunday (October 11th) stating that Han Shaojie had landed in China and reunited with the family.
“From being missing to coming home, these six days felt like a nightmare. But every retweet, every message of encouragement in the comments and private messages, was like a lifeline pulling us back,” Ms. Han expressed her gratitude towards relevant parties and enthusiastic netizens, concluding with, “We will cooperate with the relevant departments in handling the case, refraining from disclosing too many details.”
This low-profile attitude starkly contrasts with the previous widespread appeals on the internet. Many netizens questioned why the situation was not clarified to prevent more people from falling for similar scams. Some speculated that there might be more complex circumstances behind the scenes that could not be disclosed. It was also suggested that the family may have ultimately compromised and paid a ransom of 150,000 yuan, signing a confidentiality agreement.
According to earlier reports, 34-year-old Han Shaojie, a freelance photographer registered in Wuxiang County, Changzhi, Shanxi Province, had been living in Beijing for a long time and had previously worked on documentary films for CCTV. Han Shaojie was invited to film in Bangkok and Chiang Mai with a reported daily salary of four to five thousand yuan (RMB). After arriving in Bangkok on October 5th, he had sent location updates and had video calls with his family. However, he could not be reached by his family that same evening.
Realizing something was amiss, his family flew to Bangkok the next day and reported to the authorities in both Thailand and the domestic location where Han Shaojie’s household registration was. On the afternoon of October 8th, the family received a call from Han Shaojie, stating that he needed to pay 150,000 yuan to leave. The family contacted the Chinese embassy and sought help on social media.
A post from one of Han Shaojie’s friends revealed that months ago, Han Shaojie had contacted him about a travel photography project for CCTV, which was likely the project that lured him away. Under the guise of CCTV, he was tricked to go to Thailand, after which he disappeared.
Regarding Han Shaojie returning to China and the family no longer publicly disclosing details, discussions among overseas social media users have revolved around questions like, “Who invited him to film in Thailand?” and “It seems that scammers in Thailand still need to save face, demanding the release of the person when asked.”
Despite the Chinese authorities’ publicized efforts to crack down on online scams, some still doubt the real role of the Chinese government in such incidents, claiming, “It’s all done by Chinese people,” and “Dirty laundry should not be aired in public.”
Earlier on September 24th, Wang Qi, a 33-year-old music teacher from Shanghai, flew to Bangkok, Thailand, and went missing the next day. His phone’s IP address was reportedly shown twice in the southern part of Kayin State, Myanmar, after losing contact. Wang Qi’s TikTok account had unsuccessfully called his mother and friends. It wasn’t until October 7th that Wang Qi returned to Shanghai. The official announcement only confirmed his safety, without revealing what had happened during the 12 days of disappearance in Thailand and Myanmar, involving online scams or coercion, which were not disclosed.
Chinese issues expert Li Linyi commented that there could be a tacit understanding between the Thai police, Chinese public security, the embassy, and the bosses of the scam operations. If the situation attracts attention and the family pushes for it, money may be paid, and the person released. If the case doesn’t receive much attention, the person might just disappear, which has been the norm for years. The crackdown on scams by the Chinese government is mainly for political reasons.
The notorious Southeast Asian online scam operations, largely run by Chinese, have expanded from telecom fraud to forced prostitution, surrogacy, blood extraction for sale, and even organ harvesting. The Chinese Communist Party is widely suspected to be the “mastermind” behind these Southeast Asian scam operations.
In January 2025, Chinese actor Wang Xing was lured to Thailand, then kidnapped to the Myawaddy area of Myanmar, causing widespread concern. Under public pressure, the Chinese authorities, along with Southeast Asian countries, launched a campaign to “crack down on online scams,” creating an illusion that the Southeast Asian scam operations had been eradicated.
However, as reported by Myanmar media, signs of an expansion of online scam activities reappeared in Karen State in southeastern Myanmar, near the border with Thailand, with some previously shut-down operation areas being “repaired and operational” again. New online scam points have emerged in certain neighborhoods and nearby valleys and mountainous areas of Myawaddy.
Recently, a Chinese anti-scam blogger released a video showing a large number of abandoned phones found on the roadside and in bushes near Jokkak Village in Myawaddy, Myanmar, seemingly belonging to young Chinese people who were lured and abducted.
With so many discarded phones, clearly not meant for work but personal use, each phone representing a person! Southeast Asia #Myanmar #MyanmarEast #JiaokeVillage
On October 8th this year, a netizen posted a request for help on social media, stating that two Chinese men had gone missing in Thailand on October 6th and were suspected to have been transferred to Myanmar. According to the missing persons notice released by the families, one of the missing men is 38-year-old Hu Xing from Jiujiang, who works as an IT engineer; the other is 35-year-old Song Huating from Wuxue. They are brothers-in-law from the same family who went missing together after traveling to Thailand, their whereabouts still unknown.
Concerning the safety of Chinese tourists in Thailand, Thai police in a media interview mentioned that when Chinese tourists visit Thailand, “what they need to be careful of are not the Thai people but those Chinese already in Thailand.” Regarding the type of cases where “Chinese deceive Chinese,” Thai former parliament member Chuwit Kamolvisit has repeatedly exposed the operation model of “Grey Business” in Thailand, emphasizing how difficult it is for Thai people to intervene in this circle.