Hoping to secure a job in Singapore, a doctor from China travelled to Myanmar in August last year.
Unfortunately, the experience took a nightmarish turn when he was instead brought to a compound run by a crime syndicate.
During his time in the area, his kidnappers also kept him in a prison after suspecting him of leaking “secrets.”
He was finally able to return to his home country on 5 Sep, over a year after his ordeal began.
On 11 Sep, a Weibo user by the name of “Dubitabam” shared a post with the hashtag “Doctor from the Chinese Academy of Sciences deceived into going to Myanmar for a year”.
He shared that he returned to China on 5 Sep and was unable to provide updates until now due to ongoing investigations and an illness.
Source: Weibo
According to The Beijing News, Zhang Shi (not his real name) was facing financial difficulties and was looking for work.
Due to the pandemic situation, he struggled to find a job in China, so he decided to search for opportunities abroad.
He eventually came across a company in Singapore that was hiring customer service staff and decided to apply for it.
Upon completing all the necessary procedures, the company said that they would help Mr Zhang with his visa application so he could travel and work overseas.
However, his visa application was delayed for more than a month due to Singapore’s pandemic restrictions and the fact that Mr Zhang was not vaccinated.
Because of this, the recruiter suggested that Mr Zhang work in the company’s Thailand branch in the meantime, so he headed there.
Things went smoothly at first. Mr Zhang said that the accommodation was “very good” and he even got to see the company’s official website and video, dispelling his doubts about its authenticity.
On 15 Aug 2022, he arrived in Mae Sot, which borders Thailand and Myanmar.
He was then taken to a compound, where his mobile phone and identity card were confiscated. Back then, he was told that this was for confidentiality reasons and that he would receive a new phone later.
This was when Mr Zhang began to suspect that he had been tricked.
It turns out that Mr Zhang was in a heavily guarded compound in Myawaddy, southeastern Myanmar.
There, he was constantly monitored and was unable to escape.
Source: Jiupai News on Weibo
He was once even kept in a private prison after being accused of “leaking secrets” before being transferred to another criminal organisation.
Cover News reported that a volunteer and businessman from China who helps to rescue such victims, A Wei, has since confirmed Mr Zhang’s story.
Since he was fluent in English, Mr Zhang was made to scam people in English-speaking countries.
The syndicate also forced him to sign a one-year contract before he could leave.
In May this year, Mr Zhang’s family received a ransom demand. After sending 120,000 yuan (S$22,400), the account became frozen and they lost contact with Mr Zhang.
His brother subsequently reported the situation to the police, who then relayed the case to China’s embassy in Myanmar.
A Wei went on to note that for the cases he has handled, most victims were somewhat aware of their situation.
Some would already be committing fraud or carrying out illegal activities, thus taking risks to make money.
A small number of them would actually be deceived and sold to the compound.
Conversely, Mr Zhang disagreed with A Wei’s claim, stating that a majority of the victims were tricked into becoming scammers.
Most of them were in their 20s and 30s, with very few under 20 years old or over 30 years old.
“Almost everyone wants to escape. But it’s hard for everyone to be of the same mind, and they all worry about others leaking secrets, so it’s difficult to escape together,” he shared.
Mr Zhang also claimed that scammers in northern Myanmar would largely target victims in China. Meanwhile, those in Myawaddy would target individuals overseas.
As they focus on “European and American markets”, they have to work according to schedules in those regions.
“There will be at least 15 hours of working time every day,” Mr Zhang said, adding that there was no limit for overtime.
When asked if he earned any money during his time in the compound, Mr Zhang explained that he was paid around 6,000 yuan (S$1,120) for his first month there.
After that, his pay would be from commissions based on his performance. Mr Zhang shared that he never made anything from this, which is actually very common.
Although the syndicate had about two hundred or three hundred workers, they would usually only be able to scam over 10 or 20 people a month. He told The Beijing News,
Fewer people are actually being deceived because everyone is becoming more aware about scams, so the company’s performance has been declining.
Mr Zhang’s freedom was possible as media reports had placed pressure on the park. The “compensation” the scammers asked for had also decreased over time.
Eventually, the compound arranged for a vehicle to transport him to the border of Thailand and Myanmar.
After entering Thailand, another vehicle conveyed him to a hotel.
“Before leaving, they asked me to try not to disclose what happened,” he said.
Mr Zhang was also asked to write a statement according to their script and record it on video.
“The general content was to force me to admit that I entered the compound voluntarily and to absolve them of their responsibilities,” he added. “Everyone who comes out of the compound will be forced to videotape themselves.”
Mr Zhang ultimately hopes to use his experience to warn others against following what he did.
Sadly, on his way out, he noticed many others still being deceived into entering the compound. Hopefully, they’ll be able to find a way out like him soon too.
Also read: M’sian Woman Goes Missing After Travelling To Chiang Mai, Suspected Location In Myanmar
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Featured image adapted from Jiupai News on Weibo.
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