China will work with Thailand, Myanmar to jointly eliminate scourge of online gambling

During Thai PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra's respective meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee Zhao Leji was to strengthen efforts against online gambling fraud, and they exchanged views and reached important consensus.

Resolutely combating online gambling fraud is a concrete manifestation of the people-centered approach and an inevitable choice for safeguarding the common interests of regional countries, aligning with the shared expectations of people from all nations, Lin added.

Lin stated that China is actively engaging in bilateral and multilateral cooperation with neighboring countries such as Thailand and Myanmar, implementing comprehensive measures to address both the symptoms and root causes of the problem. They will jointly eliminate the scourge of online gambling and telecom fraud, safeguarding the safety of people's lives and property as well as the order of exchanges and cooperation among regional countries, according to Lin.

Some 61 people lured by call-center scammers to work in Myanmar were rescued and sent back to Thailand on Thursday. The group, rescued from the Shwe Kokko complex in Myawaddy, comprised 39 Chinese nationals, 13 Indians, one Kazakh, five Indonesians, one Ethiopian, one Pakistani, and one Malaysian, according to the Bangkok Post.

The Myanmar Border Guard Force handed them over to Thai authorities at the 2nd Thai-Myanmar Bridge in Mae Sot district of Tak province. They were welcomed by Thailand's Defense Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, who was on an inspection trip in the border region, before going through a screening process by immigration officers.

Prime Minister of Thailand Paetongtarn Shinawatra is visiting China from Wednesday to Saturday. 

"The prime minister of Thailand has the Chinese blood in her, I guarantee that it's gonna be very safe for Chinese people as well," said Paetongtarn during an interview with Chinese media on Thursday. Paetongtarn said that Thai people always come to China and they feel like home, so she hopes that Chinese people can come to Thailand and feel like home as well.