By Larissa Liao, Kevin Krolicki and Poppy McPherson BEIJING/BANGKOK (Reuters) - The abduction and cross-border rescue had all the makings of the kind of action script struggling Chinese actor Wang Xing had hoped to land – only not as a reality star.

The Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) says it stands ready to work with security authorities to stop supplying power from Thailand to border towns in Myanmar in order to cripple the operations of scammers in the neighbouring country.

Thailand and China will work together to combat fast-growing networks of illegal call centres along the Thai border with Myanmar and Cambodia, often staffed by trafficked workers, that aim to defraud people in phone and online scams.

Wang Xing was living in fear. His head had been shaved. He couldn’t sleep and was in a strange place where his captors were forcing him to type – the first phase of training for an unwanted role.

A video of Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been shared in Chinese-language social media posts that claim it shows Paetongtarn saying she is ready to rescue Chinese citizens from Myanmar if Beijing gives the order.

Regime pledges cooperation to stamp out trafficking and telecom fraud in Karen territory controlled by its Border Guard Force ally on Thai border.

BANGKOK: Myanmar will cooperate with Thailand in the destruction of cross-border call centre gangs, Thai Minister of Digital Economy and Society Prasert Jantararuangtong is quoted as saying in the Bangkok Post,

Chinese nationals and travel operators who spoke to CNA said the reality on the ground is “very different” and urged travellers to look beyond sensational things being said online.

Thailand and China are collaborating to combat illegal call centres along their borders, tackling phone scams and human trafficking.

The Karen State Border Guard Force, under pressure from Bangkok and Beijing, says it will join efforts to break up crime gangs operating along the Thai border.

Officials from China, Myanmar, Thailand reached consensus on eradicating telecommunication fraud centres in Myanmar on Tuesday during a meeting in the Chinese city of Kunming, said China's national broadcaster.

Scammers under leading telecom fraud syndicates in north Myanmar are handed over to Chinese custody, on January 30, 2024. Photo: VCG. A senior officials' meeting on Lancang-Mekong