BANGKOK: The Police provided an update on the disappearance of a Chinese model, revealing that he has been located and safely returned to China.
Pol Gen Thatchai Pitaneelaboot, the National Police Inspector-General reported on Friday (Jan 17), in Mae Sot District, Tak Province, progress on the case of Yang Zheqi, a Chinese model whose family sought assistance from Pol Gen Kitrat Phanphet, the National Police Chief, on Jan 16, after he lost the contact at Thai - Myanmar border.
Thatchai said that The Chinese Embassy in Bangkok confirmed that the model has safely returned to China.
Regarding reports of missing foreign tourists, Thatchai stated that police and related agencies are actively investigating all cases.
He added that Thai police routinely collaborate with embassies to assist and track cases involving foreign nationals.
Lawyer Ratchaphon Sirisakorn also confirmed that Yang Zheqi’s family has acknowledged his safe return to China.
The family plans to send letters of appreciation to the Chinese Embassy and Thai authorities for their assistance.
China's state security ministry also said in a statement on Friday that Yang Zheqi and several other victims had been rescued and returned to China.
The statement said Chinese and Thai police have jointly arrested 12 suspects linked to cross-border crimes, following the disappearance and entrapment of several Chinese nationals, including actor Wang Xing, on the Thai-Myanmar border, which has sparked widespread public concern.
The Ministry vowed to keep up a "high-pressure crackdown" on cross-border telecoms network fraud.
It also warns the general public of deceptive tactics used by overseas fraud syndicates, which often promise high-paying jobs, free meals and accommodations, free air tickets or other enticing offers.
Yang went missing after being lured to Thailand with the offer of a role in a film. After landing in Bangkok, he was driven to the Thai-Myanmar border on December 21.
He posted a video to the social media on Friday after arriving back in China.
"Reporting safety right after touch down," he said in a post accompanying the video.
Earlier this month, Chinese actor Wang Xing, also known as "Xingxing," went missing near the Thai-Myanmar border.
Thai police located him in Myanmar, rescued him and sent him back home on Jan. 10.
The investigation also revealed the missing cases of Chinese nationals were linked to a cross-border human trafficking group hiding in the township of Myawaddy in Myanmar. - The Nation/ANN
