China Strengthens Cooperation with Southeast Asian Countries
Wang Xing Incident Heightens Awareness of Overseas Criminal Organizations
After the kidnapping incident of actor Wang Xing, awareness of overseas criminal organizations has increased in China, and Chinese authorities have taken action to punish international criminal organizations.
On the 20th, state-run English newspaper China Daily and Chinese media Xinjingbao reported that the trial of 23 members of an international criminal organization, charged with 11 crimes including fraud and intentional homicide, began on the 14th in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, and concluded the day before.
The Intermediate People's Court of Wenzhou City announced that the verdict for this case will be delivered later. Previously, as online fraud surged, Chinese authorities launched arrests of crime bosses active in the Kokang Autonomous Region in northern Myanmar, a criminal stronghold, at the end of 2023.
The Chinese Ministry of Public Security identified the Ming (明) family?Ming Xuechang, Ming Guoping, Ming Juran, and Ming Zhenzhen?as leaders of the criminal group. It was found that since 2015, they had formed an armed group in the Kokang Autonomous Region and committed various crimes.
The Wenzhou prosecution stated that they supported and recruited other gangs with funds and weapons, engaging in criminal activities such as international telecommunications fraud, intentional homicide, illegal detention, casino operation, drug trafficking, and prostitution. During this process, 14 Chinese people died and 6 were injured, with the amount involved in crimes exceeding 10 billion yuan (approximately 2 trillion won).
Separately, Chinese authorities have recently strengthened cooperation with Southeast Asian countries over the past few months to eradicate criminal organizations.
Recently, a Myanmar ethnic minority militia announced that it is preparing to repatriate about 10,000 people who worked in fraud organizations to Thailand. A significant number of them are known to be Chinese.
Wang Xing, who appeared in the movie Ip Man 3 and the drama Maegoejeokgosa (The Story of a Rose), arrived in Thailand at the end of last year after receiving a drama casting offer, went missing at the Thailand-Myanmar border, was found in Myanmar, and safely returned to China on the 11th of last month. He revealed that he was taken to a building in Myanmar, had his head shaved, and was subjected to fraud training. In a video, he stated, "I couldn't sleep and didn't even have time to urinate."
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